By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: The Opposition NCP has criticised the State Government for imposing multiple tax hike on vehicles saying it will prevent the people from buying new cars.

“This move to hike the tax is to discourage people from buying new cars,” Leader of Opposition Conrad Sangma told reporters here on Thursday.

Conrad also said the issue of tax revision should have been debated in the Assembly before taking the major decision.

He rejected the Government’s justification that the tax revision would boost the State’s revenue, saying, the four-to-five times hike in the taxes would only result in loss of revenue as people would now tend to register their vehicles in other neighbouring states where the taxes are less than Meghalaya.

On the revised vehicular taxes still lower than the rates in Assam levied way back in 2005, he said, “We don’t have to follow anybody and the Government should have looked at every aspect like Assam has better roads and we don’t have anything here.”

“Government was hasty in its decision and it cannot bulldoze the public like this and expect the people to accept its decision,” Sangma added.