Excise duty on diesel cars should be hiked: Petroleum and Oil Ministry

09 May 2012 Evaluate

The Petroleum and Oil Ministry has suggested that the government should hike the excise duty on diesel cars to offset the benefits of subsidized diesel enjoyed by them. The suggestion is in line with the view that the rich should not benefit from subsidies as it is not meant for them.

Diesel is the most consumed fuel in the country and is sold at a subsidized rate to lessen transportation costs. Prices of petrol on the hand have been deregulated. With the recent surge in prices of crude oil, petrol which is predominantly used in passenger cars, has seen a substantial hike. However diesel continues to be subsidized by the government.

As a result the demand for passenger cars has shifted from petrol cars to diesel cars. Hence it is suggested that the price of these be raised to discourage their consumption and prevent the misuse of the subsidy.

The government has budgeted Rs 40,000 crore as fuel subsidy for the 2012-13 fiscal. The Finance Minister has targeted to bring down the subsidy bill to 2% of GDP in the current fiscal. The government is also targeting better management of subsidies under the public distribution system (PDS) so that it reaches the intended beneficiaries.

As per a Planning Commission report using a particular method of measuring leakages, the government spends Rs 3.65 through budgetary food subsidies to transfer Re 1 to the poor.

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