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‘Fuel tax cut will hit welfare schemes’
As rates of petrol and diesel touched new highs in the country on Friday, the Tamil Nadu government ruled out the possibility of a tax cut claiming that such a step would take a toll on the welfare measures under way in the state and put the onus on the Centre to give any relief to the common man.
Chennai
Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said the state government was delivering various welfare measures to the tune of Rs 77,000 crore and hinted that lowering taxes on petroleum products may cause difficulty for continued delivery of sops.
“For the Union government, which collects tax from many sources, it is not a big thing at all (to effect a tax cut). The central excise duty of about Rs 16 per litre (on diesel) can be halved to Rs 8 which will be a big relief,” he told reporters here.
“This is the plea of the Amma government,” he said referring to the state government.
On Friday, one litre of petrol in this city was being sold at Rs 83.13 while diesel cost Rs 76.17.
The rising fuel prices have triggered a political debate, with the Congress announcing a nation-wide shutdown on September 10 against the spiraling rates.
The Centre has said it will not cut excise duty on petrol and diesel to cushion the spiraling prices, citing limited fiscal space available to take any dent in revenue collections.
Keen to free 7 convicts, says Jayakumar
Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar to a question on the Supreme Court directing the state Governor to consider the mercy petition of AG Perarivalan, a convict in the 1991 Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, reiterated the state government stand for the release of all seven convicts in the case.
Further course of action will be decided after going through the judgment copy, he told reporters on Friday. He also hit out at DMK president MK Stalin for seeking a Cabinet resolution for their immediate release, asking what his party had done on the matter despite being a part of the Centre for many years, including in UPA I and II.
All efforts in this regard were taken only by the “Amma government,” he added.
Speaking to reporters later in Tiruchy on Friday, he said that it was the move started by the late CM Jayalalithaa and the present government is committed to take decision for the good of Tamil people. He said the issue would be taken up with the Union Government and decided after consulting it with the legal experts.
Meanwhile Rajya Sabha MP and senior AIADMK leader Vaithilingam speaking to reporters said, after consulting the legal experts about the Supreme Court verdict on the issue of the release of the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Chief Minister would take a final decision. He pointed out the SC had said the Governor of the state could consider the release of the convicts.
Minister for Information and Publicity, Kadambur C Raju in Kovilpatti recalled the efforts take by the late Jayalalithaa in this case.
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