Petrol costs more in India than US,diesel less: govt

Petrol in Delhi costs Rs 65.64 per litre,as against the retail price of just Rs 45.45 a litre in the US.

Petrol costs more in India than the United States of America (USA) because of higher taxes,but diesel is priced lower than the US,Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R P N Singh said today.

Petrol in Delhi costs Rs 65.64 per litre,as against the retail price of just Rs 45.45 a litre in the US,he said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha here.

This is because taxes constitute Rs 26.44 out of the price of petrol in Delhi,while they amount to just Rs 5.54 in a litre in the USA.

Petrol is,however,cheaper in Delhi than the United Kingdom,where it is sold at Rs 108.47 per litre,and France,where it costs Rs 103.14 a litre. The taxes on petrol in the UK and France add up to Rs 65.10 and Rs 59.26 per litre,respectively.

The rates here are also lower than the price of Rs 104.31 per litre in Germany,Rs 110.07 per litre in Italy,Rs 90.04 per litre in Spain and Rs 88.09 a litre in Japan.

Singh said the price of diesel in Delhi,at Rs 40.91 per litre,is cheaper than the rate of Rs 53.23 a litre in the USA,Rs 95.18 a litre in the UK and Rs 79.85 per litre in France.

The tax component in retail prices of diesel in Delhi is just Rs 7.4 per litre,while it stands at Rs 6.41 per litre in the USA. Taxes on diesel are very high in the UK,at Rs 47.02 per litre,and France,at Rs 30.29 a litre.

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Diesel is also costlier at Rs 82.90 per litre in Germany. It is priced at Rs 86.99 per litre in Italy,Rs 76.87 a litre in Spain and Rs 76.14 per litre in Japan,he said.

The government had in June last year freed petrol pricing from its control and the retail rates in Delhi are near the market price. However,diesel is sold at a subsidised rate.

The diesel price of Rs 40.91 a litre in Delhi is Rs 12.95 per litre short of the imported cost.

Singh said the government’s earnings from taxes on crude oil and petroleum products jumped 32 per cent to Rs 103,580 crore in 2010-11 from Rs 78,443 crore in 2009-10. In the April-September period of the current fiscal,the government has so far garnered Rs 43,411 crore in taxes on crude oil and petroleum products.

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Excise duty was the top earner,raking in Rs 68,040 crore in 2010-11,followed by customs duty at Rs 24,136 crore. In the first six months of FY’12,the earnings from excise duty amounted to Rs 29,400 crore,while customs duty collections stood at a mere Rs 8,116 crore.

The government,he said,earned Rs 3,652 crore from royalty on crude oil and gas and Rs 6,810 crore from cess on crude oil in 2010-11. In April-September this fiscal,earnings from cess stoood at Rs 3,477 crore and those from royalty at Rs 1,998 crore.