They allow the government to raise special additional excise duty, when needed, by up to ₹18 a litre on petrol, up from ₹10 now and up to ₹12 a litre on diesel, up from ₹4 now. These were last raised by ₹2 each on 14 March when, too, global oil prices declined sharply amid fears of a recession. The intention to raise the taxes on auto fuel comes at a time when the government is looking for resources to announce a financial package to fight the impact of the coronavirus crisis.