Karnataka Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Act 2014 holds any vehicle plying continuously in Karnataka for more than 30 days responsible for paying a Hefty Life Time Tax. CMV rules state such non-state registered cars need to be registered in 11 months.
In keeping to taxes levied by Government Of Karnataka, officials are stringent and to a large extent go behind non-state registered cars. So called crackdown on such vehicles has become bothersome for those residing in neighbouring states. Officials treat such cars in Bangalore with suspicion. This gets worse as officials take custody of vehicle documents and personal documents like Company Access Cards/Pan Cards/Aadhar Cards, etc.
Vehicles owners are threatened to sign the challan. Not doing so, suggests non-state registered cars will be seized and towed to a BMTC depot. While government appointed touts literally jump in front of vehicles to stop non Karnataka registered cars. One such incident saw a vehicle owner assaulted by agents/touts recruited by RTO officials.
There’s a ‘Justice for Non KA registration Vehicle Owners’ page on Facebook with just under 20,000 members. Group members discuss atrocities by Karnatata Road Transport officials when checking Non-Karnataka Vehicles in Bangalore. A petition has been filed with High Court of Karnataka against the recent MV Taxation Amendment for which a stay order has been issued. Karnataka isn’t the only state that’s making life difficult for those relocating from other states.
Gurgoan traffic department passed the same amendment in November 2014 so Non-Haryana registered cars are required to register their cars within a month of arrival. Kerala state has introduced changes this month, requiring Non-Kerala state registered vehicles to pay yearly road tax in a month of arrival. The call now is for a One Nation-One Road Tax policy that makes for easy driving in a new city apart from upholding constitutional provisions and federal principles.
