No motor vehicle tax for vehicles carrying religious scriptures

Chandigarh: In a bid to pay great reverence and respect to the sacred Religious Scriptures of every religion, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday gave its nod to exempt especially designed vehicles for carrying the Parkash of Religious Scriptures of different religions in the state from Motor Vehicle Taxes (MVT).

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of the Council of Ministers held here under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister at the Punjab Civil Secretariat. Disclosing this here Friday, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said there are around 25,000 such vehicles in the state which are being used for carrying the Parkash of Religious Scriptures for religious ceremonies or religious events.

The MVT under section 13 (3) of the Punjab Motor Vehicle Taxation Act, 1924 of such vehicles is Rs. 10,000 per annum. However, the state has decided to exempt these vehicles from the tax which is likely to cause a financial implication of about Rs. 20-25 crore to the government.