GUWAHATI: Commercial vehicle owners in Guwahati have reacted strongly against a notification issued by the District Transport Office (DTO) of Kamrup (Metro) asking for immediate payment of pending vehicle taxes. The notification also warns that additional taxes will be imposed if pending arrears are not paid on time.
The notification issued by DTO Kamrup urges citizens of Guwahati to help "in keeping the transport system dynamic and sustained" through an advertisement in leading newspapers. The advertisement read, "Pay the Arrear Tax of your vehicle at the earliest."
Commercial vehicle owners argue that instead of granting financial help to the commercial transportation sector struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has asked to clear off pending taxes. While many states have exempted vehicle taxes for months, some for even a year, the Assam Government has not taken any such step despite the continued closure of inter-district travel, they add.
District Transport Officer Gautam Das told G Plus that although there is no tax exemption for any vehicle, and that the particular notification was mainly meant for those owners who have not cleared their pending taxes in years, some going back to pre-pandemic times.
"Many vehicles have been failing to clear the dues after one initial payment. We have already sent individual notices to many companies, most have not complied. So we had to give a public notification," he added.
"This only shows the Transport department's incompetence to implement the rules. If they could not collect the taxes for years, why rush now when there is a genuine crisis and complete closure of business." a transport company owner said on the issue.