# Petrol steady after Rs 5 hike; state VAT gap persists 2026-08-13T00:53:16+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Retail fuel prices held steady on 13 August despite a drop in Brent crude, nearly three months after a cumulative Rs 4.82 per litre hike ended a 76-day freeze during the Hormuz crisis. State-run oil companies absorbed losses of over Rs 750 crore per day before the hikes began in mid-May, according to Petroleum Ministry Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma. The central government cut excise duty by Rs 10 per litre in March, but pump prices vary widely due to state VAT. Millenniumpost reports that BJP-ruled states passed the full cut to consumers, while INDIA-bloc states like Telangana and Kerala did not reduce VAT, keeping petrol above Rs 112 per litre. Oil bonds from the UPA era, over Rs 1.34 lakh crore, are still being redeemed by the current government. ## Coverage - millenniumpost.in - millenniumpost.in - livemint.com Tags: diesel prices, Fuel taxation, Hormuz disruption, oil marketing companies, petrol prices, Value Added Tax Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/petrol-diesel-prices-hiked-nearly-rs-5-per-litre-in-10-days/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/petrol-diesel-prices-hiked-nearly-rs-5-per-litre-in-10-days/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.