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Haryana defers decision on bus fares

Steep hike in token tax on goods carriers

Chandigarh: The Haryana Cabinet has deferred the proposal to hike the bus fares in the State.

The Cabinet met here on Thursday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala told PTI that the issue had been deferred as the Government wanted to consider the issue in detail, especially regarding the passenger tax component in the fare.

Mr.Surjewala had told reporters recently that the Haryana Government was considering hiking the bus fares following the increase in price of diesel and also stated that the fares were last hiked when the price of diesel was Rs 16 per litre.

The Government also announced a steep hike ranging between 42 to 200 per cent in token tax levied from owners of trucks, depending on the weight of the vehicles.

The State Cabinet at a meeting here also decided to introduce passenger tax on school buses in the State.

The Cabinet decided to prescribe a lumpsum passenger tax of Rs 60 per seat for nine months in a year for school buses, an official spokesman said.

The Government has imposed a 42 per cent hike in the case of goods carriages having gross vehicle weight of above 1.2 tonne to six tonnes (like TATA-207). The revised rate would be Rs 1,200 instead of existing Rs 840. For goods carriers above six tonnes and up to 16.2 tonnes (ordinary truck), the rate has been revised to Rs 2,400 from the current Rs 1,500, a hike of 60 per cent, he said. For vehicles in the above 16.2 tonnes to 25 tonnes (medium heavy truck) category, the rate of annual token tax has been revised to Rs 3,500 from the existing Rs 1,500, an increase of 133 per cent. The maximum hike of 200 per cent has been affected for vehicles exceeding weight of 25 tonnes (heavy truck) for which the rate of annual token tax has been revised to Rs 4,500 from Rs 1,500, the spokesman said.

The Cabinet has also given some relief in case of goods carriages having gross vehicle weight up to 1.2 tonnes (three wheeler loading) for which annual token tax has been reduced to Rs 300 from Rs 337.50, he added.

It was observed in the Cabinet meeting that the rate of token tax on goods carriages had been the lowest in Haryana as compared to neighbouring States.

The rates were not in multiples of Rs 100, thus causing harassment to the owners of goods carriers and leading to corruption in offices. Light, medium and heavy vehicles were kept under the same category of rate in the State. Therefore, there was a need to simplify and rationalise these rates, the meeting observed.

The lumpsum passenger tax of Rs 60 per seat for nine months in a year for buses of educational institutions would be payable for the months from July to March in a year.

He said the owner shall pay a lumpsum for a month within the first 20 days of the month to which the payment relates by making deposit in the Government Treasury or by furnishing demand draft or pay order to the appropriate Assessing Authority drawn in its favour.

A decision to this effect has been taken because it has been observed that there are about 5,000 buses of educational institutions operating in the State and such institutions have been charging at least Rs 400 from each student using the facility.

He said educational institutions were indirectly getting earning profits as they enjoy exemption from payment of passenger tax.

Therefore, it was decided that the exemption granted to educational institutions from payment of passenger tax in transporting children be withdrawn.

PTI/UNI

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Haryana defers decision on bus fares

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