Madras High Court issues notice to Centre on plea seeking disclosure of tax components in petrol, diesel bills

The Madras High Court has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and other authorities on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to ensure that petrol and diesel outlets disclose the tax component on bills and price display boards.

The petition, filed by advocate B Ramkumar Adityan, argued that disclosing the breakup of taxes on fuel is part of a consumer’s right to information and protection against unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

A Bench of Justices Anita Sumanth and C Kumarappan of the Madurai Bench directed the petitioner to implead the Central and State tax authorities as additional respondents. The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Tamil Nadu Finance Department were already listed as respondents.

According to Adityan, petrol and diesel prices vary widely across states due to differing central and state tax structures. However, the current bills issued by fuel outlets and the price display boards at pumps do not reflect the tax component, only showing the per-litre price and total payable amount.

He contended that such omission constitutes an unfair trade practice, as consumers are deprived of information needed to make informed purchasing decisions. The petitioner also stated that his prior representations to the Ministry had gone unanswered, prompting him to approach the court.