Taxpayers Association Urges AP Government to Cancel True-up Charges, Additional Taxes

Vijayawada: The Taxpayers Association in Vijayawada has urged the state government led by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to remove the additional tax burden on electricity charges imposed by the previous YSRC government on taxpayers in Andhra Pradesh. Addressing the media on Tuesday, the Taxpayers Association's secretary, M.V. Anjaneyulu, said that according to a White Paper released by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the power sector, the previous YSRC government had burdened power users by increasing power tariffs by Rs.16,699 crore, Rs. 3,999 crore through true-up charges, Rs.5,886 crore through FPPCA charges, and an additional Rs.5,604 crore in the form of electricity duties, totaling Rs.32,166 crore. It was further revealed that the previous YSRC regime had planned to impose a Rs.17,137 crore burden through true-up charges on electricity users.

“The onus is on the present NDA government to remove the tax burden imposed on the people by the previous government and ensure that the same mistakes are not repeated,” Anjaneyulu said. The Taxpayers Association members said that the electorate taught a befitting lesson to the YSRC regime for the tax burden, and the NDA alliance promised to abolish all additional taxes in their manifesto. It is time for the NDA alliance government to stand by their promises, i.e., to abolish all unlawful taxes on power bills.

On the occasion, the Taxpayers Association proposed three steps to remove the tax burden on the people. The first step is to cancel the tariff system brought in by the YSRC regime and implement the electricity tariff that was in use in 2019-2020 before the TD government stepped down. The second step is to cancel the true-up charges collection from August month power bills and credit the true-up charges paid by users in the last 24 months to future power bills. The third step is government should bear the proposed ` 17,137 crore true-up charges burden without passing it on to the public.