KOZHIKODE: The Motor Vehicles Department is set to crack down on vehicles which have not paid the taxes for more than five years.
Such vehicles or their registration certificate books will be seized. Kozhikode district alone has over 1,500 public transport vehicles, including autorickshaws, taxis and private buses, that have not yet paid the taxes in spite of repeated notices from the MVD.
According to Kozhikode city Road Transport Officer K. Premanandan, the last date for paying the tax dues is June 30. “No extension will be given as notices were sent to the respective vehicle owners long ago,” he pointed out.
Besides public transport vehicles, a sizeable number of private vehicle owners have failed to pay tax on time, he said. As per the Kerala Motor Vehicles Taxation Act 1976, tax has been levied on every motor vehicle used or kept for use in the state and an endorsement detailing the rate of tax, mode of payment and place of payment has been made in the registration certificate prior to its issuance.
Around 40 percent of vehicle users are defaulting tax payment in spite of provisions like ‘one- time settlement.’ The MVD has also identified that many vehicles operate without the mandatory fitness certificate. A high-level meeting will be conveyed to discuss the issue, Deputy Transport Commissioner Rajeev Puthalath said.
