The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, allowing the state government to levy a cess of up to ₹5 per litre on petrol and high-speed diesel, despite strong protests by the opposition and a boycott of the proceedings. The proposed levy, called the orphan and widow cess, will be imposed at rates to be notified by the government, with an upper limit of ₹5 per litre. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu defended the decision, stating that the government retains flexibility in fixing the rate. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, described the move as anti-people and warned of a cascading impact on inflation.