India raises windfall tax on crude, diesel, aviation fuel

(Reuters) - India has raised windfall tax on petroleum, crude oil and aviation turbine fuel, according to a government order dated Jan. 2.

It raised windfall tax on crude oil to 2,100 rupees ($25.38) per tonne from 1,700 rupees ($20.55), effective on Tuesday, the order said.

The federal government also raised export tax on diesel to 7.5 rupees per litre from 5 rupees, while raising the windfall tax on ATF to 4.5 rupees per litre from 1.5 rupees, the document showed.

India, the world's largest consumer and importer of oil, has been buying Russian crude barrels at well below a $60 price cap agreed by the West.

The country in July imposed the windfall tax on crude oil producers and levies on exports of gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel after private refiners sought overseas markets to gain from robust refining margins, instead of selling at lower-than-market rates in the country.

($1 = 82.7450 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Grant McCool)