[AZT]

Did a full tank yesterday and was shocked to see the price. Google search showed today was the 9th consecutive day hike and Mumbai petrol price is way above all other cities.

Petrol and diesel prices were hiked for the ninth consecutive day today
Fuel rates have now peaked to more than a year's high level
Latest petrol, diesel prices in top cities:
New Delhi: Petrol ₹76.26 Diesel ₹74.62
Gurgaon: Petrol ₹75.05. Diesel ₹67.45
Mumbai: Petrol ₹83.17. Diesel ₹73.21
Chennai: Petrol ₹79.96. Diesel ₹72.69
Hyderabad: Petrol ₹79.17. Diesel ₹72.93
Bengaluru: Petrol ₹78.73. Diesel ₹70.95
These price levels were last seen in October-November 2018 when crude oil rates were at a record high. In India, the current spike in auto fuel rates can be attributed to the excise duty hike of ₹10 per litre on petrol and ₹13 per litre on diesel last month. Besides, several state governments had also hiked VAT or cess on fuel but its impact was immediately passed on to customers.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/...188796267.html

[arunramaswamy]

Originally Posted by AZT

Did a full tank yesterday and was shocked to see the price. Google search showed today was the 9th consecutive day hike and Mumbai petrol price is way above all other cities.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/...188796267.html

Looking at these prices makes me cry my eyes out. I think if you are going to be the citizen of this mango republic, you either have to be highly successful that you do not feel the pinch or you've got to be so poor that you don't give a damn about what happens to the prices. It is actually a crime to be a trishanku(middle class) in this country. You actually feel the pinch in your monthly budget but yet can't do anything about it. Irrespective of the tax type.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by AZT

Google search showed today was the 9th consecutive day hike and Mumbai petrol price is way above all other cities.

Make that 10th consecutive day.

Here are the current petrol and diesel prices in metros (in rupees per litre):

City Petrol Diesel
Delhi 76.73 75.19
Kolkata 78.55 70.84
Mumbai 83.62 73.75
Chennai 80.37 73.17

Source

[myavu]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

On a different note, with just Rs. 1.54 difference is it worth buying a diesel car in Delhi anymore with 10 year registration life. Even if the difference between both petrol and diesel car is just 50K still I don't think it is worth

[Dry Ice]

The hike continues. Latest prices.

[reignofchaos]

This is just idiotic - there is no reason to increase fuel prices right now. There is barely any increase in crude prices.

[lurker]

this is display of arrogance because they believe they have consumers in a vice like grip because of the China import ban excuse the electric vehicle models are going to take a big hit and they think the customers are as usual put in a spot with no choice out of this predatory pricing monopoly.

[bluevolt]

The surprising thing about fuel price increase these days is that no one is making a fuss about it as it was the case in the 2013-2014 era!

[BLACNWYTE]

Is it just me who has got this ominous feeling that somehow the government is building up a reserve by taxing fuel more to face an emergency war like situation. The recent tension at all borders and continuous 13 days of fuel price hike has got me a little spooked to be honest.

[ashis89]

With the COVID induced slowdown and reduced mobility of the common man, people haven't felt the impact of rising fuel price. Someone like me, who's refueling once every two months () I won't even remember what I paid for fuel two months ago!

And with the COVID situation not improving at all, the media (and the country) doesn't have time to focus on trivial matters like a 10% hike in fuel price.

[lurker]

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

Is it just me who has got this ominous feeling that somehow the government is building up a reserve by taxing fuel more to face an emergency war like situation. The recent tension at all borders and continuous 13 days of fuel price hike has got me a little spooked to be honest.

the feeling I get is the 'one way or another squeeze Indians' one and considering the poor state of audit and accountability of these funds there is very little a common man will get to know how these funds will be spent. Govt accounting is a different ball game and there are many loopholes to be exploited there.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by arunramaswamy

Looking at these prices makes me cry my eyes out. I think if you are going to be the citizen of this mango republic, you either have to be highly successful that you do not feel the pinch or you've got to be so poor that you don't give a damn about what happens to the prices. It is actually a crime to be a trishanku(middle class) in this country.

Yess. Spot on. I have seen diesel price go up by 9 rupees in last 7 days in my town. We are taking pay cuts, making almost-compulsory donations/charities and getting hit by high taxes. Govt. just ensures that its fall in revenue is somehow compensated for. What about citizens' suffering? Who cares? It's a curse to be a middle class. Yet, it is the middle class which cheered for this govt in elections. Stockholm syndrome. The more you punish people, the more they will worship you.

Originally Posted by bluevolt

The surprising thing about fuel price increase these days is that no one is making a fuss about it as it was the case in the 2013-2014 era!

Yes, press has no time for average joe's problems. What is surprising is even Whatsap University is silent about it. Ditto, with opposition which failed big time to make this a national issue.

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

Is it just me who has got this ominous feeling that somehow the government is building up a reserve by taxing fuel more to face an emergency war like situation. The recent tension at all borders and continuous 13 days of fuel price hike has got me a little spooked to be honest.

What reserves? I read somewhere that between 2016 (when crude prices started falling ) and 2019 Dec., they raised taxes on Mineral oil Products 12 times, and netted 25 lakhs crores excess fund because of these dozen upward revisions. We don't know where that 25 lakh crore went. Even after that they say they have no money and they had to collect money for PM Cares fund, which again is not open to audit.

Originally Posted by lurker

the feeling I get is the 'one way or another squeeze Indians' one and considering the poor state of audit and accountability of these funds there is very little a common man will get to know how these funds will be spent. Govt accounting is a different ball game and there are many loopholes to be exploited there.

Yess. Nothing will see the light of the day. Everything stays buried in the shroud of mist.

[boniver]

Like everyone else, I've driven quite less in the past few months and I have a habit of taking pictures of the fuel dispenser readings after the tank is filled. After seeing this thread, I decided to go through them and noticed the BIG jump in petrol prices over the past couple of weeks.
Take a look. These pictures were taken on 21st March, 31st May and 17th June 2020:

Rs. 72.27 on 21st March:


Rs. 73.28 on 31st May:


Rs. 79.06 on 17th June:


I usually never bother checking fuel prices, but the last fill up did make me sit up and notice the receipt
So the price increased by 1 rupee over the first 70 days, and within the next 20 days it had jumped 6 rupees! Doesn't affect me much since my running is low, but this jump would deal a huge blow to people with high running.

[vigsom]

To understand the "impact" of a fuel price rise of Rs.6 a liter on users, here are a few cases showing the incremental cost incurred :

Case1: A two wheeler (scooter) user running 150km a day

The incremental cost is 150/40 * 6 = Rs.24 a day approx.

Case2 : A company executive who uses his/her sedan 150km a day

150/12 * 6 = 12.5 * 6 = Rs.75 a day

Case3 : A trucker running 800km a day

800/4 * 6 = Rs.1200 a day on a trip cost running into several tens of thousands of rupees.

I don't think these numbers are so high as to warrant the kind of publicity.

People indulge way way more than this on avoidable spends.

I remember, in my city, diesel was retailing for 71 bucks even in Oct-19 , and it hovered in the 66-71 range from Nov-19 to Feb-20, then dropped to 64-68 levels during the Lockdown, and is now up to 73 levels; similar trends for petrol too but the values are different.

It would be good, as a reference, to refer to fuel price trends in OPECs in the Middle East for the last 4 months.

[Desi Dybuk]

The question of whether the increase in fuel prices is so much that one can not afford it seems to miss the instinctive revulsion of a person to feel that he/she is being taken advantage of.

In these days of Covid-19 when many lower & middle class salaried people are looking at drastically reduced paycheques (if they have not been laid off already) & the fact even to reach their job location, one would have to use a personal vehicle or expensive Cab/Autos, this feels wrong on so many fundamental ways. This added expense is something that was unnecessary.

Even compared to our impoverished neighbourhood countries, we pay the HIGHEST for fuel. Absurd taxation & the capracious manner in which the taxes are increased seemingly everyday makes one feel that they are nothing but an ATM to loot for the current ruling elite.

Look at this historical price increase for Petrol in Bangalore. Almost ₹ 6 increase in mere 8 days. It breached ₹ 80 per liter today here in Karnataka today. When I filled up my Verna this morning to come to office, I took a look at the receipt & for a moment I felt a rage at the current ruling dispensation for the arrogance. I am sure, I'm not the only one who is feeling this & feels that with the economy is downturn, why not try a different dispensation that at least wouldn't rob us daily.

Originally Posted by vigsom

To understand the "impact" of a fuel price rise of Rs.6 a liter on users, here are a few cases showing the incremental cost incurred :

Case1: A two wheeler (scooter) user running 150km a day

The incremental cost is 150/40 * 6 = Rs.24 a day approx.

Case2 : A company executive who uses his/her sedan 150km a day

150/12 * 6 = 12.5 * 6 = Rs.75 a day

Case3 : A trucker running 800km a day

800/4 * 6 = Rs.1200 a day on a trip cost running into several tens of thousands of rupees.

I don't think these numbers are so high as to warrant the kind of publicity.

By your own calculation, someone who drives a car would be spending about ₹ 1950 Extra per month (₹ 75 per day X 26 days = ₹ 1950). So, over a year, he would have spent ₹ 23,400 Extra in a year. This ₹ 23,400 is not a small amount for a lot of people. A lot of people can think of better ways to spend it on instead of offering it as a tribute at the altar of the Infallible.

Originally Posted by vigsom

People indulge way way more than this on avoidable spends.

I remember, in my city, diesel was retailing for 71 bucks even in Oct-19 , and it hovered in the 66-71 range from Nov-19 to Feb-20, then dropped to 64-68 levels during the Lockdown, and is now up to 73 levels; similar trends for petrol too but the values are different.

It would be good, as a reference, to refer to fuel price trends in OPECs in the Middle East for the last 4 months.

We can pat ourselves on the back even more by comparing us to Nordic countries where the taxation is even more than us for fuel. But then again, an average Nordic citizen has better infrastructure, social safety net in the form of unemployment insurance, free primary & higher education, generous pension & most of all FREE Public healthcare.

An average middle class salaried person gets NONE of these benefits. We emply private security guards for securing our apartment complexes, pay Tankers for water, put our children in private schools for education and we have to go to private hospitals to die. Why should we not complain when we have to endure the constant looting just to build useless statues or economically unproductive loan-waivers?