Explained: How much tax do you pay on Rs 100 of petrol?

While many Opposition-ruled states do charge the highest tax per Rs 100 of petrol, BJP-ruled states are not far behind

The furore over tax on fuel returned to the fore on Wednesday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi singled out Opposition-ruled states for not cutting VAT on fuel, resulting in prices crossing Rs 100 across several states. During a meeting with Chief Ministers over the Covid-19 situation, Modi flagged the higher price of petrol and diesel in six Opposition-ruled states -- Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

While Opposition leaders fumed at Modi's accusations, saying that the states have limited provisions to mop up revenue and that the Centre is shirking responsibility, how much tax does the common man actually pay per Rs 100 of petrol?

According to data from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas -- Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the three highest tax-collectors on petrol, charging Rs 52.5, Rs 52.4 and Rs 51.6 per Rs 100 of petrol. They also happen to be the three states where the state tax is higher than the central excise duty tax.

Other than the three states, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Bihar round up the states that charge at least Rs 50 in tax for petrol, with Rajasthan charging Rs 50.8, MP charging Rs 50.6, Kerala charging Rs 50.2 and Bihar charging Rs 50. Two of these states, MP and Bihar, are ruled by the BJP or an alliance between the BJP and regional parties.

Other BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka charge under Rs 50 in state taxes, with Uttarakhand charing the lowest at Rs 44.1 and Karnataka charging the highest at Rs 48.1 per Rs 100 of petrol.

On the other hand, Opposition-ruled states mostly tend to have a higher state fuel tax, as four of the seven highest-charging states mentioned above are ruled by Congress and regional parties like the YSRCP, TRS, Trinamool Congress. Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand, which were among the states singled out by Modi, charge Rs 47 and Rs 48.6 in petrol, both in spitting distance of BJP-ruled neighbouring states of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, while TMC-ruled West Bengal charges Rs 48.7 in tax.

Regionally speaking, north and northeast states charge generally lower taxes than the other regions, charging between Rs 42 and Rs 47 in tax, and the lowest taxes in the territory of India belong to Lakshadweep, which charges just Rs 34.6 in tax, followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which charges Rs 35.3.

Watch latest videos by DH here: