Bihar government has started to levy ” Green Tax” on all old polluting commercial vehicles in order to keep them completely off the roads. In Patna alone, there are over 19,000 commercial vehicles which are over 12-year-old. All old private vehicles are exempted from “green tax”.
The tax is aimed to discourage high consumption of fuel. Old vehicles consume more fuel than the new ones. Within three months of imposing “green tax”, the state transport department earned over Rs 50 lakh in Patna alone.
Under Bihar Vehicles Taxation Act, 1994 amendment – a “green tax” at the rate of ten per cent is payable, including additional tax, by every owner of registered transport vehicle which is over 12 years old, except three wheelers, tractors and trailers.
All old goods carrier vehicles that are above 3,000 kg in weight will have to pay ten per cent of the tax i.e., Rs 550 as “green tax” that would be valid for ten years. This besides, all old passenger vehicles (lower than 3,000 kg) will pay tax ten per cent of the tax either quarterly, half yearly or annually.
“This is to curb vehicular pollution and to penalize persons responsible for pollution,” Patna DTO Harihar Prasad said.
All old commercial vehicles, including even those that are government owned, would be taxed under “green tax”. “According to norms, private vehicles have been excluded from the purview of ‘green tax’ as these are not used vigorously like commercial vehicles,” Prasad said, adding: “The tax will not vary for either petrol or diesel-run commercial vehicles. It is same for all vehicles.”
At present, according to the data available with DTO, there are a total of 19,544 vehicles that are over 12 years old. These include 12,175 trucks, 1,089 buses, 625 minibuses, 662 delivery vans, 641 jeep taxis, 359 car taxis and 234 ambulances.