RTA gears up to impose hiked tax on heavy trucks

Hyderabad: The Transport Department has revised the tax rates with regard to truck axle load limit as per the guidelines issued recently by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The quarterly tax for the vehicles has gone up by about by at least Rs 500 because of the revision by the department.

According to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) officials, the State Transport Department issued a circular informing the officials about the revised tax rates after the enhancement of safe axle weight/gross vehicle weights for transport vehicles. Owners of the vehicles have been asked to get endorsement only on the payment of difference of tax, fee and service charge applicable for the transaction.

Giving example, the officials said, under the rigid vehicles category, two axle vehicles, which had the capacity of six tonnes on front axle and 10.2 tonnes on rear axle, the tax was Rs 3,320. After the increase in load affected by the Centre to seven tonnes on front axle and 11.5 tonnes on rear axle, the tax would be Rs 3,940 per quarter, they said.

Similarly, in tractor-trailer combinations, for a vehicle of 36.6 tonnes, the existing tax is Rs 6,750 per quarter but after the Central notification, the permissible weight is 41.5 tonnes, the tax would come at Rs 7,740 per quarter.

The other fees include RC endorsement Rs 500 per medium goods vehicle and Rs 750 for heavy goods vehicle and Rs 100 as service charge. For permit endorsement, Rs 200 plus Rs 100 as service charge and for national permit authorisation endorsement was Rs 200 plus Rs 100 as service charge, said the officials. 

The officials argue that as per the taxation schedule, tax on goods vehicles should be calculated based on the laden weight of the vehicle. Therefore, in the context of revision of gross vehicle weights, the tax to be paid for a goods vehicle would be automatically increased. 

A senior official told The Hans India that the district transport officers had been asked to collect tax of transport vehicles based on the revised gross vehicle weight from the month of August as the final notification was issued on August 6, 2018. Necessary modification to collect the tax as per the revised gross vehicle weight was being made in the software, said the officials.