The Telangana Petroleum Dealers’ Association (TPDA) has demanded that the State government immediately withdraw 5% Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed by previous government on transport charges on petroleum tanks and LPG.
Speaking to the media here on Friday, along with Telangana Petroleum Tank Trucks Owners’ Associations (TPTTOA) leaders, TPDA has also asked the Telangana government to withdraw 14.5 percent VAT on transport charges imposed by it since May 9, 2016. They warned the State government that they would observe “Transport Bandh” if the government failed to respond on their demand and the government will alone be responsible for the consequences due to the transport bandh.
Stating that there was no VAT on transport charges in any State in the country, they asked the Telangana government to concede their demand and avert the bandh. They also said it was not proper to continue the 5% levy imposed by the previous government in 2011, in the form of VAT.
They said united AP government never implemented collection of levy, but the present regime was compulsorily collecting VAT forcefully. They said the TPDA would launch agitation opposing the VAT decision of State government. They also made it clear they would extend full support to the Telangana Tank and Trucks Owners’ Association’s (TPTTOA) proposed transport bandh from May 29 midnight.
TPTTOA leaders also made it clear that they have nothing to do with the taxes imposed by the State and Union governments. They said the Oil Companies have to bear them. They also demanded that the government see that the three Oil Companies — HPC, BPC and IOC implement the same rules and regulations. They demanded that the government see that the Oil Companies give minimum guarantee mileage to every truck by abolishing waited average and set the transport charges on same day when the government increases or decreases the Oil prices. They made it clear that they would go on strike from the midnight of May 30.
TPDA leaders N Dinesh Reddy, G Vinay Kumar, Prabhakar Reddy, Rajiv Amaram, Kaladhar, TPTTOA leaders K Rajashekar Reddy, Syed Arif-ul-Hassan and others were present. (NSS)