NPF criticises fuel-tax hike, demands immediately rollback

Dimapur, Nov. 12 (EMN): Opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) has criticised the Nagaland government’s decision to enhance tax on petrol and diesel.

The party issued a press release on Thursday stating that when the citizens rejected the ‘formula’ of ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government to extract ‘money from the public through Covid-cess’, it has now ‘come up with a new formula to pump money from the public’.

According to the NPF, the move has ‘exposed’ the PDA government’s ‘inhumanity and utter disregard for public welfare yet again’.

“The increase in tax on petrol and diesel is a frontal assault on the right of the people to food and shelter, the two most basic needs for survival because it has a direct and escalating effect on the cost of essential commodities and construction materials. The NPF is stupefied that this sadistic decision comes at a time when the public is still valiantly struggling to cope with the cost of commodities that skyrocketed with the earlier increase in ‘cess on petroleum products’ and is yet to normalise even after the rollback of the infamous cess,” the statement read.

It went on to state that the move will severely handicap the purchasing-power of a consumerist society whose economic capacity is already severely impacted by the pandemic.

“This will adversely affect the welfare and livelihood of thousands of citizens, especially the daily-wage earner, the private sector entrepreneur and employee, the small scale businessman etc., which in turn will have a ripple effect on their dependents, the rural economy and the whole of Nagaland economy considering how close-knit and inter-dependent the Naga society is,” it stated.

The party urged the government to immediately roll back hike in tax “before it becomes too late to control its impact on a beleaguered and stressed society”.