The Hindu Business Line : Truckers urge govt to slash diesel prices, abolish taxes

NEW DELHI: A truckers' body on Wednesday requested the Prime Minister's Office to think of slashing diesel prices by at least Rs 10 a litre and abolish service and toll taxes to make their business viable.

The truckers have threatened an indefinite strike from December 20 if their demands were not met. The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) said the Rs 2 per litre reduction in diesel prices announced on December 5 was not enough.

“We have written to Prime Minister's Office and to ministries of Petroleum, Commerce and Transport to communicate our wishlist. We will go on strike if our demands are not met,'' AIMTC President Charan Singh Lohara told reporters while staging a dharna h ere.

“The diesel prices should be slashed by Rs 10 per litre when the international prices of crude oil has gone down to about $40 per barrel,'' he added. He also demanded exemption from service tax levied on transporters.

“We are still getting inflated service tax notices from the government, in spite of the relaxations promised earlier this year,'' he added.

The truckers had gone on a nation-wide strike in July demanding a host of relief measures, including abolition of service tax. The government had then conceded to their demands by relaxing service tax.

Mr Lohara also said the government must do away with toll taxes on all highways for six months. He claimed the freight rates have fallen by 25-30 per cent in the country and the transporters are now faced by 25 per cent excess capacity.

Transporters also want moratorium on all instalments and interest waiver on truck finance for at least six months. Other demands include provision for free movement of all trucks across the country without any national or state permits and fixing minimu m freight rate keeping in view high input costs. - PTI

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