SHILLONG, March 11: Taking the mantle of highlighting the issues faced by commercial vehicle owners and operators, Congress on Thursday beseeched the state government to provide 50 per cent relief from the taxes, which was also their demand earlier.
Raising the matter on the floor of the Assembly during the Question Hour, Congress MLA from West Shillong, Mohendro Rapsang, enquired about the time when last revision of the commercial vehicle fares was done and if the recent drop in fuel prices will remain constant.
In reply to his query, Taxation Minister, James Sangma, said that the last fare revision was done on January 13, 2020, for taxis and maxi cabs while the fares for mini bus fares were revised on August 10, 2018.
With regard to the fuel price, the minister informed that there are multiple reasons for the hike, adding that it is also dependent on many external factors. “Besides, the state has no control and, therefore, that kind of commitment cannot be given that there will be no fuel price hike,” he said.
“I cannot comment on the rise in fuel price as this is beyond our jurisdiction,” said added.
Affirming that the commercial vehicle owners and drivers have been financially affected in the past one year due to the pandemic, Rapsang requested the state government to consider the proposal of 50 per cent relief from the taxes.
In response to this, the minister expressed solidarity with the concerns raised by the MLA. “The matters pertaining to taxi fare and fuel costs were brought up and the government examined it, which resulted in a rebate of Rs 2 per litre on both petrol and diesel prices,” he said.
If one looks at the increase in taxi fare from 2011 to 2020, there has been a 30 per cent surge, whereas maxi cabs have seen a 24.5 per cent increase and 40 per cent for bus and mini bus, James informed, adding that on February 5, 2021, petrol cost Rs 90.83 per litre and diesel Rs 83.45 per litre, which corresponds to 20.38 per cent and 21.08 per cent increase respectively.
Pointing at the increase in rates of fares and fuel costs, James said, “If you look at the present rate, it is 15.74 per cent. Therefore, we have taken into consideration all these factors and the cascading effects of the soaring fuel prices on the economy. We are well aware of that and to provide relief we decided to lower the tax rates on petrol and diesel”.
Joining in with a supplementary question, Congress MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh, said that the reasons that led to the recent agitation of the commercial vehicle operators are multiple.
She highlighted other aspects of the demands for 50 per cent rebate. “Because of the collection of taxes for vehicle and permit taxes and various other forms of taxes, their demand was placed by the commercial vehicle owners and operators for a rebate on the tax payment on various types of taxes due to their inability to ply and earn their livelihood during the COVID-19 period. This is one aspect and is not been looked into,” she said.
“This is my request, if this can also be paid heed and attended to. I am told they have already submitted their taxes but if a rebate can be given because of the inability to earn during the pandemic, it will help them to a large extent,” the MLA added.
Responding to her plea, James said, “We understand the plight and that is why the Transport department has notified that it has extended the validity of all types of permits driving license, learning license validity till March 31, 2021”.
“We believe this will provide relief to the commercial vehicle owners. Additionally, all late fees and additional fees for any delayed payments have also been laid off, and along with those non-used clause facilities for transport vehicles for suspension of tax liabilities has also been enabled to give relief to all commercial vehicle owners,” he added.