Udupi
Truck owners, who transport construction materials in the district, are worried about the new state government order that makes it mandatory to pay lifetime road tax.
Raghavendra Shetty, General Secretary of the Lorry and Tempo Owners’ Association, Katapady, told media persons that earlier goods vehicle owners had the option to pay road tax in three quarterly instalments, but now the lifetime road tax is collected, and the option of paying it in instalments is struck down, he said.
Truck drivers and owners are affected because of lull in construction activities, due to restrictions on sand extraction in CRZ areas. As a result, truck owners are without business, due to the halt of construction activities for many months. We will be in severe trouble if the government makes it mandatory for us to pay lifetime road tax without the option of paying it in instalments, he said.
Shetty said that the government has plans to collect lifetime road tax from truck owners, to increase its revenue to meet the financial needs of its other schemes. It is a scathing attack on the working-class people. The RTO is not accepting tax on a quarterly basis, and they insist upon us to pay lifetime road tax, he added.Ramesh Shetty, Harish, Ashwath and Manohar were present.
