Road Transport Authority warns of tough action against vehicle tax evaders

​Warangal: The officials of the Road Transport Authority (RTA) in the district are planning to launch a special drive in December to collect transport vehicles tax from the defaulters.

The defaulters were asked to pay the taxes at the Mee-Seva and E-seva centres till November 24, using the withdrawn currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 as the State government has allowed the public to pay their taxes after demonetisation of higher denomination notes.

The failure to pay the taxes in time will attract huge penalties and lead to vehicles’ seizure, the officials said. In the erstwhile Warangal district, there are an estimated 45,000 transport vehicles, which come under the quarterly tax payment mode.

Of them, the owners of nearly 13, 750 vehicles have not yet paid their quarterly tax within the due date and became defaulters as per a recent assessment. Normally, they used to make the payment through online or Mee-Seva or at the RTA offices.

The Owners of 2,100 tractors, 3,800 tractor trailers, 5,400 goods vehicles, 850 cabs and 5,400 lorries in Jangaon, Bhupalpalli, Warangal Urban, Warangal Rural and Mahabubabad districts have not paid the quarterly tax so far.

Speaking to The Hans India, the Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC), Warangal, Ch Shivalingaiah, informed that usually the drive to collect taxes from defaulters is conducted in the months of March, June, September and December every year.

‘The RTA official will visit the houses of vehicle owners and seize the vehicles, besides conducting checks on the roads. We can also levy a penalty up to 200 per cent on the owner for their failure to pay the tax in time,’ he added.

Meanwhile, the DTC has conducted a meeting with the dealers of the automobile and informed them that the life tax and other payments of the government can be made with banned notes till November 24.