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GUWAHATI: Reacting on the Assam Government’s announcement to increase tax on Petrol and Diesel, president of All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) Gauravv Somani said, “The Assam Government’s decision is regressive and very discouraging step specially at a time when the prices of essentials are already at an increased levels and the black marketers and the logistic supply cost are on extreme high. This rise will further trigger a shocking trend in price rise and will challenge the middle-class and poor people of Assam with an ever decreasing purchasing power capacity with no work for almost a month now and almost more 14 days to go. This will trigger inflationary trend and to show off the government will again target poor and helpless SME sector of business class. It is a matter of great concern that in these testing times when the entire country is facing an never before challenge for survival, the government in Assam is busy trying to fill its coffers by increasing the prices of Diesel and Petrol by Rs. 5.43 per litre and Rs. 5.85 per litre.”
He further said, “We understand that the state revenues are also strained and going downwards due to no economic activity for last 1 month, we strongly believe that the government could have easily offset the shortage by various other means of revenue generation. As the lockdown is in place, only vehicles carrying essential commodity and food items are plying on roads. No other vehicle are allowed to move on roads. Hence in any case the sale of fuel will be at the lowest level and shall only effect the transportation cost of vehicle carrying essential commodity and adding oil to the fuel is to charge toll tax from such vehicles.” “The government is taking only short cuts. They will finish off the middle class to subsidize the BPL and in the process the middle class will join the rank of the BPL,” Somani asserted.
Meanwhile, the CPI (Communist Party of India), Assam State Council also opposed the government decision to hike petrol prices. The party said, because of the lockdown public are deprived of essential commodities. Already, various unscrupulous business establishments have increased their prices thus the hike will lead to increase in price of various commodities. The organization appealed that the price hike should dismissed.