State gears up to collect due taxes from luxury vehicle owners

Kolkata: The Transport department will conduct awareness campaigns for collecting due taxes from owners of expensive vehicles.

Transport department sources said till November, about Rs 80 crore road tax is due, including penalty too. “As per West Bengal MV (Motor Vehicle) Tax Amendment Act 2024 any owner of a commercial vehicle can avail a rebate of 15 per cent, 30 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively if road tax is paid for a period of 3 years, 5 years and 10 years, respectively. Private motor car owners can pay lifetime tax for their old vehicle @ 7.5 per cent of the vehicle’s purchase value,” state Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty posted on his Facebook page on Friday.

A Bill in this regard was passed in the state Assembly in February 2024 and was notified by the department after proper procedure. “We feel the need for more awareness among commercial vehicle owners about rebate facilities if road taxes are paid in advance. Many of them can pay their road tax at one go but may be unaware of such concessions,” said a Transport department official.

The department is sending SMS to vehicle owners, requesting payment of due taxes. Majority of owners of expensive cars such as Audi, Mercedes Benz, BMW etc have been irregular in paying taxes. “If taxes are paid on time it helps increase the state’s revenue which is utilised by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for people’s development,” said the minister.