LIVE: கொளத்தூரில் ரமலான் நலத்திட்ட உதவிகள் வழங்கும் விழா https://t.co/r2aCMjKnQ3

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin presented a rigorous fact-based clarification following Prime Minister Narendra Modi interaction with Chief Ministers regarding petrol and diesel price reductions. Stalin placed factual fiscal data before the public to dismantle misleading claims that state governments are responsible for high fuel prices, pointing out that the Union Government continues to collect exorbitant cesses and surcharges that are intentionally kept out of the divisible tax pool shared with states.

The Chief Minister reminded the Union Government that Tamil Nadu had proactively reduced state value added tax on petrol by three rupees per liter in August 2021, providing substantial financial relief to working families despite facing acute revenue deficits. He questioned the moral justification of central authorities demanding that states bear further fiscal cuts while the Union continues to retain massive revenues generated through discretionary fuel cesses.

Stalin demanded that the Union Government immediately reduce its excessive excise levies and integrate all special fuel surcharges into the basic excise structure to ensure equitable fiscal devolution to state governments. He emphasized that genuine federalism requires fair financial sharing rather than shifting national economic mismanagement onto states.