'Centre collected over 26 lakh crore in fuel taxes; what did an average family get?': Chidambaram

Chidambaram called on the people to ask themselves what an average family got in return for paying this huge amount as fuel tax. His attack on the government came on the day petrol and diesel prices were again hiked by 80 paise a litre each, taking the total increase in rates in less than two weeks to Rs 8 per litre.

New Delhi:Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram has questioned the central government over rising fuel prices even as he said that the Modi government has collected a whopping over 26.5 lakh crore as fuel taxes.

Chidambaram called on the people to ask themselves what an average family got in return for paying this huge amount as fuel tax. His attack on the government came on the day petrol and diesel prices were again hiked by 80 paise a litre each, taking the total increase in rates in less than two weeks to Rs 8 per litre. Taking to Twitter, Chidambaram said that in the eight years of the Modi government, the central government collected Rs 26,51,919 crore as fuel taxes.

"There are approximately 26 crore families in India. That means from every family the central government has collected, on average, Rs 1,00,000 as fuel tax!" the former Union finance minister said. "Ask yourself, what did an average family get in return for paying this huge amount as fuel tax?" Chidambaram said. Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending upon the incidence of local taxation.

Petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 103.41 per litre as against Rs 102.61 previously, while diesel rates have gone up from Rs 93.87 per litre to Rs 94.67, according to a price notification of state fuel retailers. This was the 11th increase in prices since the ending of a four-and-half-month long hiatus in rate revision on March 22.