(NDTV)
With the strategic petroleum sector still outside the GST regime, petrol and diesel were among the few other items that figured among the part on indirect taxes in the last full budget just presented by Finance Minster Arun Jaitley before the 2019 general elections.
Even as the Union Budget 2018-19 proposed levy of road and infrastructure cess of Rs. 8 per litre on petrol and diesel, while abolishing the additional excise duty of Rs. 6, global prices pushed petrol to a nearly three-and-a-half-year high of Rs. 73.05 per litre in Delhi on Thursday.
The basic excise duty on unbranded petrol was slashed by Rs. 2 from Rs. 6.48 per litre and on branded petrol from Rs. 7.66 per litre.Similarly on unbranded diesel, additional excise duty was brought down from Rs. 8.33 per litre to Rs. 6.33 per litre and on branded diesel from Rs. 10.69 per litre to Rs. 8.69 per litre.
Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adia told a post-Budget media briefing that the changes would not affect the customer. “Excise on petrol and diesel has been reduced by Rs. 2, which has been converted to cess. Consequently, there is no change in price for the consumer,” he said.
