A move towards financing public services

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday defended the recent hike in petrol and diesel prices, stating that the revenue generated would be used to finance essential public services and development projects. This comes amid criticism from the opposition BJP and JD(S), who say the hike – Rs 3 per liter for petrol and Rs 3.5 for diesel – is unjustified.

“The Karnataka government has increased VAT on petrol to 29.84 per cent and on diesel to 18.44 per cent. Even after this hike, fuel taxes in our state remain lower than most south Indian states and similar states of economic size like Maharashtra,” Siddaramaiah explained in a public statement.

Siddaramaiah attributed the reduction in state revenue to the tax policies of the previous BJP government, accusing it of favoring the central treasury over the state’s interests. He urged the Union government to reconsider the current excise duty rates on fuel for the benefit of the society.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)