Madras High Court Seeks Centre’s Response on Petrol and Diesel Tax Transparency PIL
The Madras High Court has issued notices to authorities like the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and others, directing them to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL). The case requested the court to mandate petrol and diesel pumps to clearly display how much of the fuel price is made up of taxes, both on bills and on price boards.
The writ petition was filed by an advocate named B. Ramkumar Adityan. He said, ‘Being consumers, it is a basic right to be aware of the breakup of taxes on fuel.’ This right is a part of a consumer’s right to information and protection against unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
At the time of the hearing on this matter in the Madras High Court, the benches, comprised of Justices Anita Sumanth and C. Kumarappan of Madurai, directed the petitioner to add the Central and State tax departments as additional respondents in the case. The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Tamil Nadu Finance Department were already included as respondents.
According to the advocate (petitioner), due to every year’s changes in tax rates, the prices of petrol and diesel vary nationwide. But the bills and price boards at fuel stations only display the price per litre and the total amount to pay; they don’t show how much tax is included.
He alleged these deletions are a part of unfair trade practice because details are not reaching customers, which prevents them from making smart choices. He also said that when he had earlier contacted the ministry, they did not respond, which is why he went to court.
