Can't levy it alone
Here are the taxes you pay on fuel:
* Central Excise Duty: On Petrol, which is at Rs 21.48 per litre, whereas for Diesel, it is at Rs 17.33 per litre.
* State VAT: Around 21 states have a 25 per cent Value Added Tax on petrol, with Mumbai having the highest at 39.12 per cent. State VAT on diesel is more than 20 per cent in 14 states, with the highest in Andhra Pradesh at 28.08 per cent.
* Add it up: In Delhi, for every Rs 100 you pay for petrol, Rs 45.9 goes to the government in the form the taxes in Delhi. The amount of taxes differs in all states based on their VAT and other factors.

'The reason why we pay such high taxes on petrol is because around 15 years ago, a bureaucrat at the Centre, on the instructions of the minister of his department, changed paise to per cent on the tax applicable to fuels, and the rule stuck'
Nitin Dossa, president, Western India Automobile Association