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VAT on petroleum products to be decided on April 26

     New Delhi: In view of the rising fuel costs due to increase in tax rates and ongoing agitation by the petrol pump owners, the Empowered Committee on VAT will take a final decision on tax treatment of petroleum products on April 26. Although Empowered Committee put petroleum products out of VAT, several states have imposed VAT on it at different rates. Delhi has imposed a VAT of 20% on diesel, which is much higher than the earlier sales tax of 12%. Uttar Pradesh, which has not yet implemented VAT also, charges 20% sales tax on diesel. In contrast, neighbouring states like Haryana and Punjab have kept it at 12% and 8.8%, respectively.

Petrol pump dealers demand hike in commission

     New Delhi: Petrol pumps throughout the country are on a day long strike today demanding increase in dealers' commission on sale of petrol and diesel. Ashok Badhwar, President, Federation of All India Petroleum Traders, said, "We are on a day-long strike today. Petrol pumps all over the country shut operations at midnight. This is a 24- hour strike. We will intensify the agitation if our demands are not met." FAIPT is demanding increase in dealers' commission to five per cent from the current 1.59 per cent on petrol and 1.27 per cent on diesel. Petrol pumps traders are also demanding uniform pricing of petroleum products all over the country and quality checking equipments at petrol pumps to enable monitoring the quality of products delivered by oil companies at the pumps.

Pak cricketers richer by Rs 5 lakh each  (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar Khan has announced a cash bonus of 500,000 rupees for each player of the Pakistani tour for their victorious performance during the India tour. The News quoted team manager Saleem Altaf as saying that Khan also met the players after the final one dayer and announced the cash prize for them. Altaf, also the Director Cricket Operations PCB, said that the main plus point of the tour was the qualitative change in Inzamam-ul-Haq's captaincy and the gelling of the players as a combined unit. "The captain has played a major role in the success on this tour and has been responsible for gelling the team together besides himself showing remarkably positive change in his approach to the job. And I think the vice-captain Younis Khan has also shown a few times he can be groomed for future," the paper quoted Altaf as saying. "We told them that there was a big difference between a 3-3 scoreline and a 4-2 scoreline and I'm happy to see that they put in their best on the final day of the tour," Altaf added.

Ganguly's appeal against 6-match ban rejected by ICC (Go To Top)

     London/Kolkata: In major blow to the Indian cricket team, ICC Appeals Commissioner Michael Beloff has rejected captain Sourav Ganguly's appeal against the six one-day international match ban. ICC match referee Chris Broad had handed Ganguly the ban after a warning for his failure to achieve the minimum over rate in the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Ahmedabad. After considering comprehensive written submissions from Ganguly and the match officials, Beloff last night endorsed Broad's decision to find Ganguly guilty and impose a six ODI match ban. Beloff also did not accept the argument that heat was the reason for the slow over rate. "Cricket is a game played in all kinds of climates. It cannot be right that the mere fact of the heat and humidity will excuse a failure to achieve the minimum over rate," he said. The decision is binding and the ICC is counting the last two matches against Pakistan as the first two matches of the ban served.

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