New Delhi, September 7: Petrol and diesel prices continue to rise across the country causing endless trouble for consumers. A litre of petrol costs Rs 87.39 per litre in Mumbai and Rs 79.99 per litre in Delhi. A litre of diesel on the other hand in Mumbai is being sold at Rs 76.51, and it is priced at Rs 72.07 a litre in Delhi. However, dealers are charged only Rs 39.21 for a litre petrol. According to a report published in Economic Times, The Indian Oil Corporation, one of the largest oil retailers charges Rs 39.21 a litre to dealers excluding Value Added Tax (VAT) and excise.

According to the report, the excise duty charged on normal petrol is Rs 19.48 while on branded petrol, it is Rs 20.66 and Rs 15.33 are charges as excise duty for regular high-speed diesel and for branded high-speed diesel it is Rs 17.69. Whereas, Value Added Tax (VAT) varies from state to state. The Maharashtra government levies the highest percentage of VAT on Petrol and diesel at 39.12 percent and 24.78 percent respectively in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. The rest of the state is charged 38.11 percent for petrol and 21.89 for diesel. Madhya Pradesh levies 35.78 percent VAT on Petrol, while Andhra Pradesh levies 35.77 percent VAT.

Here is the state-wise list of VAT charged on petrol and diesel

States VAT Charged on Petrol VAT Charged on Diesel
Andhra Pradesh 35.77% 28.08%
Arunachal Pradesh 20.00% 12.50%
Assam 30.90% 22.79%
Bihar 24.71% 18.34%
Chattisgarh 26.87% 25.74%
Delhi 27.00% 17.24%
Goa 16.66% 18.88%
Gujarat 25.45% 25.55%
Haryana 26.25% 17.22%
Himachal Pradesh 24.43% 14.38%
Jammu & Kashmir 27.36% 17.02%
Jharkhand 25.72% 23.21%
Karnataka 30.28% 20.23%
Kerala 30.37% 23.81%
Madhya Pradesh 35.78% 23.22%
Maharashtra – Mumbai, Thane & Navi Mumbai 39.12% 24.78%
Maharashtra (Rest of State) 38.11% 21.89%
Manipur 23.67% 13.97%
Meghalaya 22.44% 13.77%
Mizoram 18.88% 11.54%
Nagaland 23.21% 13.60%
Odisha 24.62% 25.04%
Punjab 35.12% 16.74%
Rajasthan 30.80% 24.09%
Sikkim 27.87% 15.71%
Tamil Nadu 32.16% 24.08%
Telangana 33.31% 26.01%
Tripura 23.15% 16.18%
Uttarakhand 27.15% 16.82%
Uttar Pradesh 26.90% 16.84%
West Bengal 25.25% 17.54%
Union Territories
Andaman & Nicobar Islands 6.00% 6.00%
Chandigarh 19.76% 11.42%
Dadra & Nagar Haveli 20.00% 15.00%
Daman & Diu 20.00% 15.00%
Lakshadweep - -
Puducherry 21.15% 17.15%

One litre of petrol is comparatively cheaper in our neighbouring countries. In Pakistan petrol is charged at INR 57.83, while in Sri Lanka it is INR 64.12. In Bangladesh one litre of petrol costs INR 73.06, whereas Nepal charges INR 68.30.

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had blamed “external factors” for the rise in domestic prices of petrol and diesel but said the increase is temporary. To protest against the spiralling fuel prices, Congress and Left parties have decided to hold a Bharat Bandh (nationwide shutdown. Both the parties have decided to hold a nationwide strike against the Modi government over the steep rise in petrol and diesel prices. The Congress called the steep increase in fuel prices a 'fuel loot'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2018 06:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).