Goa hikes VAT on petrol, diesel; Oppn slams government

According to the notification issued, starting Saturday (June 22), the prices of petrol and diesel were hiked by Re.1 per litre and Rs.0.35, respectively

Panaji: The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Goa on Friday issued a notification raising the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol

(Representative Photo)

According to the notification issued, starting Saturday (June 22), the prices of petrol and diesel were hiked by Re.1 per litre and Rs.0.35, respectively.

In a notification issued, the state finance department has enhanced the VAT on petrol to 21.5% while the VAT on diesel will now stand at 17.5%.

Last week, the Congress government in Karnataka hiked the petrol and diesel prices after the state revised sales tax. According to a gazette notification, the government revised sales tax on petrol and diesel by 29.84% and 18.44% respectively.

The price hike, which will come into effect from midnight of June 21, has been criticised by the opposition.

Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemão, demanded that the Goa government roll back the hike, especially since it comes on the back of the hikes in electricity prices.

A hike in electricity running from Rs.0.30 to ₹0.90 was made effective earlier this month.