The State government cannot afford to slash the sales tax on fuel, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said on Monday, holding the Centre accountable for the hike in fuel prices.
The State can scarcely be expected to do so when it is already being denied its rightful share in taxes by the Centre, Mr. Balagopal said.
Kerala receives at present ₹26.34 as tax on a litre of petrol, while the Centre gets ₹27.90. In the case of diesel it is ₹19.14 and ₹21.80 respectively.