Civic body hikes octroi on 36 day-to-day items

Members of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) StandingCommittee yesterday voted for increasing octroi on 36 items of everyday use. A total of 52 articles were suggested on which the duty could be hiked.

While the raise would come into effect from the next financial year, committee chairperson Baburao Chandere said its effects would be visible in people's kitchens and on the transport sector soon.

Time to pay more: With PMC all set to hike octroi, prices of 36 essential commodities including petrol, are about to rise. File Pic

No options
Chandere, who would be presenting his own budget shortly, said, "The corporation needs to raise the octroi, as it requires more revenue, so that it can provide better services to the citizens. The list also includes those articles which were previously exempted."

The items that would get costlier due to octroi hike include cooking gas, petrol and diesel. In addition, items that were previously excluded from octroi have been included, but would be taxed nominally.

"These articles are of domestic use and include sorghum (jowar), millet (bajra), grains, pulses, tapioca (sabudana), sugar, poppy seed (khaskhas) and cooking gas," Chandere said.

He added that items on which octroi has been hiked significantly include kerosene and medicines, rates of which have been doubled from Re 1 to Rs 2. Levy on bicycles, vehicles, stationery goods, cooking gas, tea and coffee was raised from Rs 2 to Rs 3. Similarly, duty was hiked on tar and various machines, leather, cotton and synthetic fibres, among other things.u00a0