CPM Alleges ₹3,500-Crore Annual Burden From Power Duty Amendment
CPM state secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao said the Assembly passed the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Duty (Amendment) Act, 2026 on February 18: Reports
VIJAYAWADA: The CPM on Friday criticised the state government for amending the electricity duty law, alleging that the move would impose an additional annual burden of over 3,500 crores on consumers.
CPM state secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao said the Assembly passed the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Duty (Amendment) Act, 2026 on February 18. He recalled that in April 2022, the previous YSRC government had raised electricity duty from 6 paise to Re.1 per unit through a government order.
He said the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the hike as illegal and ordered a refund of ₹6,292 crore, though the Supreme Court later stayed the refund while upholding the view that the increase lacked legal backing.
Babu Rao alleged that instead of rectifying the issue, the present coalition promulgated an ordinance in December 2024 and gave retrospective effect to the Re.1 levy from August 2021. He said the amendment results in a 94 paise per unit hike for non-domestic consumers, amounting to nearly 25 per cent tax for those paying ͅ₹4 per unit.
With annual non-residential consumption estimated at 35,000 million units, the levy would generate over ₹3,500 crore, he claimed. Alleging preferential treatment to corporates, he demanded withdrawal of the amendment.
