Petrol Pumps In Rajasthan Begin 2-Day Strike Demanding Tax Reduction

The Rajasthan Petrol Dealers Association has announced a "No Purchase, No Sale" strike starting at 6 am on Sunday for the next 48 hours with the aim of drawing the attention of the government to the high fuel prices in the state.

Talking to the news agency ANI, Treasurer of Rajasthan Petrol Dealers Association Sandeep Bageria said, "Rajasthan Petrol Dealers Association has announced a "No Purchase, No Sale" strike from 6 am for the next 48 hours. The aim is to draw the attention of the government to the high fuel prices in the state."

Bageria said that the petrol pump operators in the state are continuously facing losses due to increased VAT in Rajasthan.

"Due to increased VAT in Rajasthan, petrol pump operators are continuously facing losses. We have been demanding the government reduce VAT for a long time, but no hearing is taking place. Petrol is being sold much cheaper in neighbouring states than in Rajasthan. Another demand is that the commission of dealers has not increased for the last 7 years. Due to this, most of the petrol pumps in Rajasthan are on the verge of closure," he said.

"33 per cent of dealers in our trade association are on the verge of shutting down," Bageria added.

Highlighting the promise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reducing petrol prices, Bageria said, "PM Modi had promised that the BJP government would reduce the prices of petrol, but no such thing happened. Rajasthan has the highest VAT on petrol, so it is needed to reduce the prices of petrol in the state, which are on par with the prices in other states."

"During COVID, the government had increased the VAT on petrol prices, which have not been revised," he added.

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