Higher Tax on 2nd car & A car(bon) free day

[subbarao]

Hi,


"A car(bon) free day" Is this possible in delhi or in Bangalore, & be ready to pay more Life time tax for your second car in karantaka..


Buying second car? Shell out more tax
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Planning to go in for a second car? Then, be prepared for a higher lifetime tax on it than the amount you paid for the first. This is transport minister R Ashok’s solution to ease traffic congestion on Bangalore roads: discourage people from buying a second car though they can afford it.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Ashok said he was getting the proposal vetted by the law department to stand the scrutiny of courts. A slab system for levying lifetime tax on the second or third car would be worked out and it will be steep, he added. However, the minister did not elaborate whether the proposal will be applied to one car per person or one car per family.
He said BMTC was encouraging IT firms and BPOs to go in for hiring of Volvo buses to transport employees. “We are ready to give more buses or ply them to suit their timings.’’

A car(bon) free day: Time to walk the talk

Imagine walking through the morning rush hour in Delhi and not seeing a single car for miles. Does the picture look a bit incongruous to you? How do you have a city full of people rushing to work and not have cars honking bumper to bumper? Yet it could well be a reality waiting to happen — a car-free city, if only for a day.
But, you might ask, why do it in the first place? Let’s start with the most obvious reason. It can save you money: public transport, even the most luxurious one, is still cheaper than running a car. It can save precious oil — and in turn let the government invest the subsidy it provides car owners to the entire city’s infrastructure. Last year alone, the government subsidized crude oil to the tune of Rs 73,500 crore. As crucially, think of the climatechanging greenhouse gas emissions that you could reduce, simply by reducing your daily carbon footprint.
How many cars are we talking here? Approximately 8.8 million for the entire country at present, estimates the Asian Development Bank. In Delhi alone, there are close to one million cars and more than four million personal vehicles in all.
The Capital adds 1,054 personal vehicles every day on its roads. The pressure is unbearable on public infrastructure and health. Nearly 72% of the pollution load in the Capital comes from vehicles and fumes from cars and other personal vehicles dominate. Road space has increased several-fold in the Capital but the growth in cars has far outpaced it. The road network in Delhi has increased 3.7 times between 1971-72 and 2005-06 but during the same period, the number of vehicles has increased 21 times.
Consequently, cars that carry merely 30% of the population in the country’s capital hog 70% of its road space. Everyone else gets squeezed out.
A single car-free day in a year is not the answer to this city-choking aspiration of a developing economy. But it’s a message that is better spread today rather than tomorrow — mobility does not mean a personal vehicle. One doesn’t need to be impractical about it. Do it in phases. Just like our elections. One portion of the city on one day and another, the next. Make a ripple and you could well start a wave.
The car-free day concept is not merely about limiting traffic in certain streets of the city; it could also enable city dwellers to ‘discover’ alternative and sustainable means of transport. Creating car-free zones is the practical offshoot that many cities across the world are trying now, and with great success.
There are no clear estimates of how much petrol could be saved in the country if each city kept its cars in the garage for a day, but here are some indicators. The World Energy Outlook estimates that the share of transport CO2 emissions from oil within India is around 35%. The transport sector is growing and cars within that are growing faster each year. The share of cars in the overall fleet of vehicles on road will go up from 12% in 2005 to 21% in 2035, claims ADB.
India may not have gorged on the carbon pie quite like the developed countries of the West. But there is no reason why it cannot go on a healthy diet now, rather than wait to fall ill first.

Welcome

[kbk_75]

The very fact that you are paying tax for the car's life-time means that you cannot legitimately charge a higher tax just because the original purchaser has another car. This is one of the more idiotic proposals I've heard of. Trust our bloody politicians to come up with this crap instead of just making the infrastructure better to begin with.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

The very fact that you are paying tax for the car's life-time means that you cannot legitimately charge a higher tax just because the original purchaser has another car. This is one of the more idiotic proposals I've heard of. Trust our bloody politicians to come up with this crap instead of just making the infrastructure better to begin with.

Actually the Minister's proposal is a very Reasonable one.
Nothing "IDIOTIC" about it.
Talking about INFRASTRUCTURE, there is a limit to that.
Suppose the total residents of BANGALORE CITY were to have a car each, how can one build the infrastructure ie ,ROADS to accomodate it.this what is called "IDIOTIC" argument

[rjstyles69]

The fact is that he 1st needs to be discouraged from having so many cars at his house .State gov' cars and his personal cars, how do I know ? Well we live about 10 mins by walk from each others house.

[akrish01]

A good proposal but I just wish the Babu's had woken up earlier. Singapore is a worthy role model where people have to pay a higher tax if they want to use the car everyday and a lower tax if they want to use it only on weekends & non-rush hour. But Singapore has a wonderful mass transit system. If the mass transit system in these 2 cities are also improved, then this is a viable proposition. Otherwise, it will just fizzle out.

Krishnan

[sammyboy]

Bangalore govt has to be the worst I have ever seen.
Instead on working to resolve issues, they just try to hide the problems with stupid schemes.
The police dont want to work so bars, pubs should close early.
Higher tax so ppl dont buy more cars but nothing to improve infrastructure.
Given the chance they will lock everyone in their houses so they dont have to worry :(
I have nothing against tax on the 2nd car as if it is necessary people will still buy it.
The issue is instead of improving infrastructure, they will come up with all sorts of wierd schemes.
Where is all that tax going ?

[snaronikar]

Its a good proposal. If you ask me it should be discouraged during the regitration itself. There is no infrastructure to accomodate so many cars in the streets. God knows when Nano is launched, how will the roads look like. As every middle class man will drive Nanos as it gives almost the same mileage as some bikes.

The proposal is no doubt good. But it should start from minister's own house. They have so many cars in their house itself. One official, and couple of them for their personal use for themselves and their children.

[maddy42]

Very good move but this should be with good public transport so we will actually feel like leaving our car at home. Otherwise whats the point if you have to walk 2 kms to the nearest bus stand??

[Jaggu]

Am buying a second small car to save green house, so i have to pay more?

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by ajay99

Actually the Minister's proposal is a very Reasonable one.
Nothing "IDIOTIC" about it.
Talking about INFRASTRUCTURE, there is a limit to that.
Suppose the total residents of BANGALORE CITY were to have a car each, how can one build the infrastructure ie ,ROADS to accomodate it.this what is called "IDIOTIC" argument

If you think there's a limit to improving infrastructure that's your prerogative. It's that attitude that prevents progress from being made. Taxing people will somehow improve things in your opinion?

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Bangalore govt has to be the worst I have ever seen.
Instead on working to resolve issues, they just try to hide the problems with stupid schemes.
The police dont want to work so bars, pubs should close early.
Higher tax so ppl dont buy more cars but nothing to improve infrastructure.
Given the chance they will lock everyone in their houses so they dont have to worry :(
I have nothing against tax on the 2nd car as if it is necessary people will still buy it.
The issue is instead of improving infrastructure, they will come up with all sorts of wierd schemes.
Where is all that tax going ?

This is what I was alluding to, but it seems there are people here who would rather put up with poor governance and mass public fund squandering than stand up and demand something better. Accountability has never been emphasized here, sadly.

[sanjubaba]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

If you think there's a limit to improving infrastructure that's your prerogative. It's that attitude that prevents progress from being made. Taxing people will somehow improve things in your opinion?

I do agree. Taxing will not improve things.
Those who can afford second car also afford the higher tax of second car.

And I can always register second car on my relative's name.


-Sanju

[GTO]

Stupid proposal! One could always buy the second car in a relatives name (not limited to immediate family).

[theMAG]

Thats it - I'm now buying a cycle.

[appuchan]

Proposal is reasonable. But how do they implement it? What if I buy a new car in my wife's name? What if it's a company car? What if I buy a car from another town or state? How do they track these?

With the present system, they cant even find out if I go to another state (or even another city in the same state), and apply for a new passport. Forget about buying a car.