Bengal cushions hike with sales tax cut
Following a prod by CPI(M) state secretary and Left Front chairman Biman Bose, West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta on Wednesday announced sales tax cut on petrol and diesel to "provide some relief' to the common people even as the state Government urged the Centre to reconsider the fuel price hike. As a result of the announcement, consumers in West Bengal will be paying Rs 2.09 less per litre of petrol and Rs 1.36 less for diesel than they would have following the price hike had the state not cut taxes.