Toll tax put on hold in Secunderabad Cantonment

​Secunderabad: The toll tax collection at the Secunderabad Cantonment has been put on hold until instructions from the Central government, according to officials and the SCB board members. Soon after the GST rollout in the country, the SCB stopped collecting toll tax in the Secunderabad Cantonment, but soon reversed its decision and started collecting the toll tax following the pressured by the Boar Members.

While the remaining 61 cantonment boards in the country stopped collecting toll tax immediately after the GST rollout, the SCB had to reversed its decision due to pressure from the toll tax contractors. They SCB officials said that they had collected close to Rs 10 crore during the last financial year and it was a major revenue earner. However, Resident Welfare Associations raised a hue and cry citing heavy burden on people.

The last ten days witnessed a lot of activity in cantonment board and special meetings were held. The SCB vice-president J Ramakrishna said, “We are waiting for the instructions from the Central government. We have written to the Ministry of Defence as well as the Finance and would act in accordance with the instructions from the Centre.”

Meanwhile, toll collection has been put on hold in the cantonment. In an eventuality of calling off toll tax collection, the amount paid by toll tax collectors would be adjusted to the date, said officials.

Going by the rules, SCB officials said that there is every possibility that the toll tax would be removed for good.