Mumbai, Oct 17 Ahead of Dussehra, the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in Mumbai have launched a special drive against high-end vehicles registered outside Maharashtra but being used primarily in the state, officials said on Saturday.
The drive primarily targets luxury vehicles registered outside Maharashtra, particularly in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, an RTO official said.
The RTO has noticed a rise in the number of vehicles bearing registration marks of the Union Territory, including the ‘DD’ series, in recent years. These vehicles include cars, buses and trucks, he added.
The drive, launched ahead of the Dussehra season on the directions of Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, aims to deter motorists from registering vehicles in other states to evade taxes in Maharashtra and ensure the recovery of applicable taxes, the official said.
Registration of vehicles is highest in Maharashtra during Dussehra and Diwali festive period, the official pointed out.
Action has been taken against 132 vehicles so far, RTO officials said.
“During the drive, which began a day earlier, RTO teams learnt from motorists that some vehicle dealers were allegedly misleading them into registering their vehicles in other states. The department is planning to take action against such dealers,” he said.
Maharashtra levies higher one-time motor vehicle taxes than the Union Territory, due to which some vehicle owners register their vehicles there to reduce their tax liability, even when the vehicles are primarily used in Maharashtra, officials said.
Maharashtra levies a one-time tax of 11 to 13 per cent on private petrol cars and 13 to 15 per cent on diesel cars, depending on their cost. The maximum tax payable on high-end vehicles is Rs 20 lakh, according to information provided by RTO officials.
In Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, however, the applicable tax rates are lower. The rates cited by officials are 2.5 per cent for cars costing up to Rs 10 lakh and, for vehicles costing more than Rs 10 lakh, 3 per cent for petrol and CNG cars and 2.5 per cent for diesel cars.
Under the drive, RTOs are checking whether vehicles registered outside the state are liable to pay Maharashtra motor vehicle tax and recovering the applicable tax difference wherever required under the law, they said.
An official of the Tardeo RTO, which has jurisdiction over Mumbai’s island city, said three enforcement squads inspected vehicles registered outside Maharashtra at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link toll plaza on October 16.
Each squad comprised five motor vehicle inspectors and five assistant motor vehicle inspectors. The Deputy Regional Transport Officer of the Tardeo RTO supervised the drive.
The teams examined vehicle documents, including the owners’ permanent addresses, to ascertain whether Maharashtra tax was payable. During the drive, the Tardeo RTO issued challans seeking payment of the tax difference for 35 of the 65 vehicles checked, the official said.
“Registration in another state does not automatically exempt a vehicle from Maharashtra tax. Liability depends on the applicable motor vehicle tax provisions and the circumstances of the vehicle’s use in the state,” the RTO official said.
The transport department has appealed to vehicle owners and dealers not to register vehicles in other states merely to avoid motor vehicle tax payable in Maharashtra.
(PTI News)
