To moderate the relentless rise in fuel prices witnessed for the last couple of months, the government has reduced basic excise duty rate on both branded and unbranded petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre. The revised prices will be applicable with effect from October 4. As per the Finance Ministry, the measure has been taken to cushion the impact of rising international prices of crude petroleum oil, petrol and diesel on their retail sale prices. The finance ministry further said that the rise in the prices of petrol and diesel was reflected in Wholesale Price Index-based inflation, which rose 3.24 per cent in August, as compared to 1.88 per cent in July, prompting the government to reduce duty.
The unbranded petrol currently commands a basic excise duty of Rs 8.48 per litre, special additional excise duty of Rs 7 a litre and additional excise duty of Rs 6. The total excise incidence on branded petrol is Rs 22.66 per litre with basic excise duty charged at higher rate of Rs 9.66, while unbranded diesel attracts basic excise duty of Rs 10.33 per litre, special additional excise duty of Re 1 and additional excise duty of Rs 6 per litre. Branded diesel attracts Rs 12.69 per litre basic excise duty, Re 1 a lire additional excise duty and Rs 6 special additional excise duty. Besides the excise duty, state governments levy the value-added tax in the range of 25-40 per cent on petrol and 15-25 per cent on diesel.
Revenue loss on account of these reductions in excise duty is about Rs 26,000 crore in full year and Rs 13,000 crore in remaining part of current financial year. The government had between November 2014 and January 2016, raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices.
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