Data | Have falling crude oil prices affected petrol prices in the country?

The dynamic pricing of petrol has not resulted in a fall in retail prices commensurate with crude oil price crashes. Crude oil prices have fallen again lately, coinciding with an economic slowdown, but the high share of central excise duties have resulted in retail prices remaining relatively high.

Lost in translation

Petrol prices in Delhi (red, left-axis) remained above the ₹70/litre mark on March 10. Since late-2014, crude oil has experienced price crashes on many occasions. But this has rarely translated into a reduction in retail petrol prices. This is largely due to the rupee’s depreciation and a high share of excise duties.

Centre's high share

The graph shows retail petrol price in Delhi (bar) and the States’ (line, yellow) and the Centre’s (line, red) share of revenue from it. While the States’ share has remained constant, the Centre’s has increased many times after late 2014, peaking in mid-2016. This explains why the retail price never dropped despite a huge crash in oil prices.

Tax and cess accrual

Due to an ever-increasing share of the central excise duty on petrol products, the government’s revenue soared while that of the States’ also gradually increased. Graph shows revenue earned by the Centre (blue) and the States (red) in ₹ crore.

States of VAT

Telangana charges the highest VAT/ Sales Tax on petrol as of March 2020. Gujarat, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh levy the least. The table shows VAT/ Sales tax range for various States as of March 2020.