Traffic halt

Ranchi, Feb. 13: Petrol dealers in the state have decided to go on a daylong strike on February 19 and an indefi- nite strike later in the in- terest of the state and consumers.

The dealers want lower sales tax rates in Jharkhand claiming their sale has gone down by 32 per cent while it has benefited the dealers of neighbouring states where tax rates are lower.

Claiming higher tax rate has affected the sale of petrol and diesel in the state, they say the reduction of sales tax to 12 per cent from the present 20 per cent will give additional revenue of Rs 26 crore annually to the state while saving consumers Rs 2.23 on every litre of diesel.

Higher sale will bring higher revenue to the state, they claim.

A delegation of the Jharkhand Petroleum Dealers’ Association today called on chief minister Madhu Koda to apprise him of the drop in revenue after the government increased the sales tax rate from 15 to 20 per cent in April last year.

They claim the state would have generated additional Rs 12 crore from sales tax while consumers would have saved Rs 1.39 paise on every litre of diesel if the rate had remained the same at 15 per cent.

The association president, Ashok Kumar Singh, said trucks plying on highways are the major consumers of diesel and the worst hit in Jharkhand have been 150 outlets in border districts, as the truckers prefer to refill tanks in neighbouring states.

Singh said Koda had assured to look into the matter favourably.

But, if the demands are not met the dealers will be forced to go on a daylong strike on February 19 and may proceed on indefinite strike later, he said.