Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 2
If a resolution adopted at a meeting today is any indication, the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh may soon have a uniform road tax for registration of new vehicles.
Transport ministers and senior officials of these states, at a high-level meeting here, agreed “in principle” to have an identical motor vehicles tax structure in the region and resolved to send their recommendations to respective states to bring about necessary changes in rules and regulations. Sources said the meeting reached a broad consensus on the tax structure for passenger vehicles (see box).
Haryana Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar said chances of tax evasion were high when certain states charged lower registration fee, resulting in revenue loss to others. “A broad consensus was reached and final modalities will be worked out soon at a meeting in New Delhi,” added Panwar.
Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Dhanpat Singh said today’s meeting mainly focused on harmonisation of motor vehicle registration taxes and signing of reciprocal common transport agreement and taxes related to passenger and freight vehicles. Currently, the rate varies from state to state. While Haryana charges it in the range of 4 to 10% those registering their vehicles in Punjab and Chandigarh have to shell out 6 to 10%t road tax. HP has the lowest rate in the region—2.5 to 4%.
Those participating in the meeting resolved that senior transport officials from the northern states would meet at regular intervals for follow-up action on today’s recommendations. Among the transport ministers present were Swatantra Dev Singh (UP), Razia Sultana (Punjab), Govind Singh Thakur (HP) and Kailash Gehlot (Delhi). Other states and Chandigarh were represented by senior officials.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2XmuE8h
via Today’s News Headlines
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