In what could come as a relief for residents of Gurgaon, Faridabad and other NCR cities of Haryana, the state cabinet has decided to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on CNG and piped natural gas (PNG) by over 50%.

A government spokesperson said that the VAT on CNG and PNG will reduce from the present 12.5% to 5%. The decision was taken under the chairmanship of chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The cabinet also gave its approval to the proposal of Excise and Taxation Department for amending Rule 9(1) (xiv) of Punjab Passengers and Goods Taxation Rules, 1952 to facilitate implementation of new composite fee regime for national permit.

Under the new scheme of single national permit fee, a consolidated composite fee of Rs 15,000 per truck per annum is to be deposited in the NP account for the permit granted to operate throughout the country. The consolidated fee deposited in the NP account shall be distributed by the Central government among the states and Union territories on pro-rata basis.