APCC Chief YS Sharmila Reddy has deplored that petrol and diesel prices in AP are higher than in neighboring states. Recalling that the coalition parties had promised to reduce tax on fuel if the alliance wins, she demanded an answer from the state government on it.
She mentioned that presently, the price of petrol in the state is Rs. 109.60 paise and the price of diesel is Rs. 97.47 paise. Whereas, she said that the price of petrol per liter in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu is Rs. 100.86 paise and the price of diesel is Rs. 92.39 paise. That is, compared to Tamil Nadu, she deplored that we have Rs. 9 more on petrol and Rs. 5 more on diesel.
Similarly, Sharmila said that in Karnataka, the price of petrol per liter is Rs. 102.90 paise and diesel is Rs. 88.99 paise. Compared to Karnataka, AP has a price of Rs. 7 per liter and diesel is Rs. 9 more. Apart from this, in neighboring Telangana, the price of petrol per liter is Rs. 107.46 paise and diesel is Rs. 95.70 paise. That is, compared to Telangana, AP has an additional price of Rs. 3 per liter, she added.
Sharmila lamented that though taxes are abnormal in the state, the development is zero. She accused both the TDP and YSRCP parties of playing dirty politics over the reduction in taxes on petrol and diesel. She said that the opposition has one word and the ruling party has another and that what the governments of both parties have done in the last 10 years is nothing but looting.
Moreover, she lamented that they have imposed a tax burden on the people in the name of VAT more than any other state. She accused them of looting the people of the state by putting them in the forefront as the state that imposed the highest taxes in the country.
If Chandrababu Naidu collected additional taxes of about Rs. 20,000 crores in the first 5 years of his rule, Sharmila pointed out that Jaganmohan Reddy makes it as a big issue alleging it `baadude baadudu’, but after coming to power he became brand ambassador for `baadudu’ and started imposing more taxes.
During Jaganmohan Reddy’s regime, she deplored that additional taxes of Rs 25,000 crore were collected on fuel in five years. Together, she accused that both of them have collected Rs 50,000 crore from people in 10 years and looted them.
Sharmila recalled that when he was in the opposition, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu stating that there is a scope to reduce fuel prices significantly demanded to reduce Rs. 17 per liter and promised to do so if the coalition comes to power. As now he is in the government, she demanded the Chief Minister to keep up his promise and reduce fuel prices.