Toll tax increases for commerical vehicles in Maharashtra

Heavy vehicles in Maharashtra will have to pay increased road tax on 15 roads managed by the Public Works Department, and the decision to implement the same was taken by the state government on Maharashtra, on Thursday, November 19, 2020.

CM Uddhav Thackeray chaired the meeting regarding the matter whereby the officials decided to increase the same by 10 per cent. This, as per official records, is lesser than the amount charged on the National Highways. Furthermore, the exemption has been offered for lighter vehicles like cars, jeeps, State Transport (ST) and school buses. A statement regarding the same was released.

The burden of the exemption is currently being faced by the government as the department is paying INR 350-400 crores every year as compensation. This is because the vehicles have been exempted from toll tax on the 15 PWD roads. Hence, the officials have decided that increasing the toll tax would resolve the issue and this can be implemented instead of paying the cash.

Unlike earlier, the categories have now increased to five, as three-axle and multi-axle vehicles will now be considered separately. The report in Hindustan Times states that as per the revised guidelines, vehicles will have to pay the following cost on the Sion-Panvel Highway,

• Minibus and Tempo - INR 85 instead of INR 75
• Bus and Trucks - INR 175 instead of INR 160
• Three axle vehicles - INR 275 instead of INR 250
• Multi-axle vehicles - INR 420 instead of INR 340