Tamil Nadu rules out further reduction in taxes on petrol, diesel

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Friday termed as “unreasonable” the Union government’s request to state governments to reduce the state taxes on petrol and diesel while reducing its own share of taxes. He said it was “neither fair nor feasible” to further reduce state taxes as Union taxes continue to be “exorbitant.”

In a three-page statement, Thiaga Rajan said the Union government has repeatedly raised taxes on petrol and diesel by “placing a heavy burden” on the people, despite calls from various quarters to reverse increases in their share of taxes.