The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has sought a uniform tax pattern for all customers LPG cooking gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Thursday.
"We have sought help from the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance for having a uniform tax pattern for all kinds of LPG customers," said Pradhan.
"What we found is there are different tax patterns for different categories of customers -- subsidised, non-subsidised, commercial and industrial. If there is not much impact on revenue due to having a uniform tax pattern, it will further help keeping in control black marketing," he added.
He added that currently 60 per cent of households in the country have access to LPG connections, while in rural households 25 per cent households have connections.
"The aim is now to provide LPG connections to 75 per cent households across the country over the next four years," Pradhan said.
Meanwhile, Pradhan added that India is also seeking a long-term crude oil sourcing deal with Nigeria.
"Today, Africa contributes 17 per cent of our requirements in crude oil. We want to raise it through increasing our exploration and production activities and procuring more crude oil with a favourable price formula," the Minister said.
An IndianOil executive added that the company is evaluating options of bidding for oil & gas assets in Mozambique.