Govt collects Rs 20 cr from vehicle tax defaulters
Shillong, Aug 5: The government has collected Rs 20 crore so far under the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for vehicle owners and the amount could touch Rs 200 crore before the August 31 deadline.
“Till today we have already crossed Rs 20 crore plus. Hopefully they will come forward till the last day,” Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Transport Sniawbhalang Dhar said on Wednesday.
Stating that “figures are moving every day”, he said the total collection amount could come close to Rs 200 crore if all defaulters come forward.
He urged the vehicle owners, who have defaulted on paying vehicular tax, to come forward take advantage of the scheme.
“It will be their loss if they don’t comply. It is up to them. I am sure it will touch 80-90 percent,” he said.
On the impact on state revenue, he clarified that since the dues are penalties, the waiver would not affect regular earnings.
“This is a fine, so it won’t affect government revenue. I have already stated the fine (waived) is close to Rs 800 crore. That is not actual revenue,” Dhar said.
EV policy extended for 3 years
Dhar, meanwhile, informed that the government had extended the Electric Vehicles (EV) Policy for another three years.
However, incentives for EV buyers are being worked out in consultation with the Finance department.
“We are now calculating the incentives properly because we have to assess the financial implications,” Dhar said.
He said the government is yet to finalise the details and is examining the impact of various incentive models.
Dhar added that charging infrastructure will also be a key factor in deciding the incentives.
“Point one is to give incentives to encourage people. Point two is where to charge. If we give incentives, but there are no charging stations, then what? We cannot take a random decision,” he said.
The deputy CM said a decision is pending on the type of vehicles and the form of incentives.
“We also have to decide what types of vehicles will get incentives, whether on registration or on purchase of new vehicles. That we are yet to take a call on,” Dhar said.
He noted the extension was announced as the previous policy had lapsed, and the government is preparing incentives for those shifting to EVs.
