bhubaneswar the price of petrol has touched an alltime high of rs 10677 per litre while that of diesel has touched rs 10315 per litre after yet another fresh hike on sunday giving a rude jolt to the already overburdened middle classi have stopped using my car in order to cut down my expenses last week i bought petrol for rs 103 per litre and today it is rs 10677 a litre for daily commuting i need around one litre petrol my monthly expenses on petrol has increased thrice over the past year but my salary has been reduced to half owing to the pandemic said sudarshan biswal a marketing executive in a realestate companywhile the centre has cited crude oils price rise in the global market as the reason for the hike in petroleum products in india the state is yet to take a step to lower the vat on such products levying an absolute vat instead of a percentage vat on the base price can keep the fuel prices relatively lower even if the base price of crude oil goes up any hike in the vat imposed by the state governments is passed on to consumers and the tax comprises around 70 of the retail selling price of petrol and diesel said prasant kanungo a manager at a city fuel centrethe odisha government levies 32 and 28 vat on petrol and diesel respectively the traders body in the state had urged the state to reduce the vat on fuel but the appeal has went in vain in october alone petrol and diesel prices increased by rs 415 and rs 470 per litre respectively