In a first, diesel costlier than petrol in Delhi after 18 hikes in a row

New Delhi, June 24 (PTI): Diesel price for the first time in living memory crossed the rate of petrol in the national capital on Wednesday when prices were raised for a record 18th day in a row.

According to a price notification of state oil marketing companies, petrol price was unchanged after 17 consecutive increases, while diesel rates were increased by 48 paise per litre across the country.

Diesel now costs INR 79.88 per litre in Delhi as compared to petrol price of INR 79.76 a litre.

Rates differ from state to state depending on the incidence of VAT.

However, diesel is costlier than petrol only in the national capital where the state government had raised local sales tax or VAT on the fuel sharply last month.

Petrol costs INR 86.54 a litre in Mumbai and diesel is priced at INR 78.22. In Chennai, a litre of petrol comes for INR 83.04 and diesel for INR 77.17.

In Kolkata, petrol is priced at INR 81.45 per litre and diesel costs INR 75.06. In Bengaluru, petrol comes for INR 82.35 a litre and diesel for INR 75.96. In Hyderabad, petrol is priced at INR 82.79 a litre and diesel at Rs 78.06.

Traditionally, diesel was priced INR 18-20 a litre lower than petrol due to lesser taxation. But over the years, the taxes have increased, narrowing the gap.

The Delhi government had on May 5 hiked Value Added Tax (VAT) on diesel from 16.75 per cent to 30 per cent and on petrol from 27 per cent to 30 per cent. Since the levy is ad valorem, the actual incidence has gone up every single time oil companies raised retail selling price in the last 18 day.

The 18th daily increase in rates since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs after ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision, has taken diesel prices to fresh highs. In 18 days, diesel price has gone up by INR 10.49 per litre. Petrol price had risen in the past 17 days by INR 8.5 a litre.

The increase in rates since June 7 is the highest in any fortnight. When petrol and diesel pricing was deregulated in April 2002, oil companies revised rates every fortnight in line with the cost. They switched to daily price revision in May 2017 to allow cost to reflect instantaneously in retail rates.

According to pricing data, the maximum rates have increased in any fortnight was INR 4-5 per litre.

Prior to the current rally, the peak diesel rates had touched was on October 16, 2018 when prices had climbed to INR 75.69 per litre in Delhi. The highest ever petrol price was on October 4, 2018 when rates soared to INR 84 a litre in Delhi.

When rates had peaked in October 2018, the government had cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by INR 1.50 per litre each. State-owned oil companies were asked to absorb another INR 1 a litre to help cut retail rates by INR 2.50 a litre.

Oil companies had quickly recouped the Re 1 and the government in July 2019 raised excise duty by INR 2 a litre.

Taxes make up for nearly two-third of the retail selling price. As much as INR 50.69 per litre, or 64 per cent, in petrol price is due to taxes - INR 32.98 is the central excise duty and INR 17.71 is local sales tax or VAT.

Over 63 per cent of the retail selling price of diesel is taxes. Out of the total tax incidence of INR 49.43 per litre, INR 31.83 is by way of central excise and INR 17.60 is VAT.

The 82-day freeze in rates this year was imposed in mid-March soon after the government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel to shore up additional finances.

The government on March 14 hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by INR 3 per litre each and then again on May 5 by a record INR 10 per litre in case of petrol and INR 13 on diesel. The two hikes gave the government INR 2 lakh crore in additional tax revenues.

Oil PSUs Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) instead of passing on the excise duty hikes to customers adjusted them against the fall in the retail rates that was warranted because of fall in international oil prices to two decade low.

International oil prices have since rebounded and oil firms are now adjusting retail rates in line with them.