[Samrat]

Originally Posted by vagman

While its true that you pay tax for 15 years, this tax takes into account your car age for all 15 years i.e tax is calculated differently for every year and the value summed up in the end is what we pay for 15 years.

Also if you wish to transfer registration to another state, the road tax varies based on car age.

Ref: https://www.godigit.com/road-tax/maharashtra-road-tax

In case of BH, was hoping the tax would reduce over time - that would have made BH registration more promising!

No actually that is not the case. Refer to your own link. The rates for petrol driven car at the time of registration is
11% of vehicle cost, for vehicles costing upto 10 lakhs, 12 % of the vehicle cost, for vehicles costing between Rs.10 lakh and Rs.20 lakh, 13% of the vehicle cost, for vehicles costing more than Rs.20 lakh


However, if the vehicle is already registered then the reduced value comes into the picture when you have to re-register. But that calculation is also not on the reduced value of the car.

Let's say you have a registered vehicle and you want to re-register after 1 year for some reason. So you will have to pay 97.2% of the total first time registration tax.

So you have a car worth 9lakhs. Your tax is 99 thousand (as per 11%)
After 1 year you have to pay 97.2% of 99 thousand ~ Rs. 96228 in addition to the tax that you have paid for 1 year plus re-registration cost.


In West Bengal there was a provision for 5 year tax at purchase. This was in 2013. Since then my father has paid tax once for another 5 years and next year again it will be paid for 5 years. The value was the same everytime.

[vivekgk]

Guys,

On 9th of November, I had filed the following RTI request with MORTH.

I am an employee of a public sector bank with branches in all states in India, and as I am an officer, I have a transferable job and may be posted at any office of the bank in India. Currently I am working at Kerala. I am currently in the process of buying a new vehicle and would like to avail the BH registration for my new vehicle. However, the state government has not started providing the facility even a year after its inception. In this regard, I request you to provide the following:

1. Is there any pending case before any court regarding BH registration in Kerala State?
2. If there is any pending case regarding BH registration in Kerala, what is the current status of the case(s)?
3. What measures have been taken up by the MORTH so far to ensure that the eligible applicants are provided BH registration?
4. If an otherwise eligible applicant is denied BH registration due to state refusal to implement BH registration, what is the remedy for the applicant?
5. If an eligible applicant is denied BH registration for his vehicle and is forced to register their vehicle under state registration, can they convert to BH registration when the facility is later implemented?
6. What measures have been taken by the MORTH in ensuring that eligible applicants all across India are not unfairly denied access to BH registration?

Today, I received the following email:

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is with reference to your request registered vide Registration number MORTH/R/E/22/04576

Your Request has been disposed of by this office.

Please log on to https://rtionline.gov.in to check the final status of your request.

I logged in to the site and downloaded the 2-page reply document, which I am uploading below:





They have also forwarded the request to the Transport Commissioner, Kerala, which was something I didn't expect, as I was planning on filing a separate RTI with them for the same matter.

Since the appeal filed by Kerala State is still pending, will the state be able to withhold BH registrations citing the pending litigations?

I am planning on filing more RTIs to get to the bottom of this, and request all BHPians who are being denied their rightful choice to do the same.

It is clear however, that states have been officially directed by the MORTH to implement BH registration. But Kerala state is even trying to overcome court orders just to continue extorting high taxes for non-existent roads. Hopefully the court will set things straight.

In the meantime, would it be possible for me to postpone obtaining permanent registration till the court decides on the appeal?

Regards,

Vivek

[MDED]

Since, the matter is sub-judice, the transport department may not register the vehicle under BH series. You may file a WP in the HC and obtain an interim order for BH registration. However, the court might put some caveat with regards to the same that if the state government is able to subvert the interim order, then you shall be liable to pay taxes for 15 years as per state government acts.

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by MDED

Since, the matter is sub-judice, the transport department may not register the vehicle under BH series. You may file a WP in the HC and obtain an interim order for BH registration. However, the court might put some caveat with regards to the same that if the state government is able to subvert the interim order, then you shall be liable to pay taxes for 15 years as per state government acts.

Even if the State gives a reply to the RTI stating that they are not implementing BH registration, it will be better than what they are doing now, which is simply nothing. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, the official reply I got when I called the helpline was that BH registration was now open. But dealers were unable to do it because of some delay in actual implementation. If that is the case, then they have to reply accordingly, that there is a delay. I should be able to use that to prolong the registration. Else if they say that the registration open, but don't provide an option in the site, I can hold off registration, citing their reply that the facility is available.

If they tell me that they can't open BH registration yet due to the court case, I should be able to approach the HC and get an interim order as they asked. As per my sources, the state will have to fold in this, as they have to follow the law of the land and central rules always override State rules. Why would Kerala alone get an exemption? So if I am able to get BH registration done, it should be permanent.

[MDED]

Your case is a precarious situation wherein the opposition ruled states are not implementing the BH series sighting revenue loss, et al. But if you see BJP rules states like KA, MP, MH are doing BH registration as they cannot be seen not implementing the flagship scheme of central government.

If you are able to get the BH series from KA, then I would recommended you get it done. I was checking with a VW dealer in Chennai and they flatly refused doing BH registration sighting the reluctance on the part of RTO officials.

[SkylineGTR]

Hello people, is anyone aware of the process of reverting from BH plates to state plates?

I am in the process of finalizing a new vehicle purchase. However, I am also expecting to change jobs and move to a different state permanently, in the next one year or so. The new BH system is a boon for me since I had to no longer to bother about RC transfer. However there is a good possibility that when I change jobs I might not be eligible for BH plates anymore. In such a case, is it possible to revert to the plates of the state that I would be living in next year? Would I have to come back to my current state and get an NOC from them?

Additionally, if a BH plate vehicle is sold to a person who is not eligible for BH plates what happens in a case like this? Do they have to revert to state plates or can they simply buy the BH plate registered vehicle?

Would appreciate if anyone with experience in this matter can shed some light

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

Hello people, is anyone aware of the process of reverting from BH plates to state plates?

I am in the process of finalizing a new vehicle purchase. However, I am also expecting to change jobs and move to a different state permanently, in the next one year or so. The new BH system is a boon for me since I had to no longer to bother about RC transfer. However there is a good possibility that when I change jobs I might not be eligible for BH plates anymore. In such a case, is it possible to revert to the plates of the state that I would be living in next year? Would I have to come back to my current state and get an NOC from them?

Additionally, if a BH plate vehicle is sold to a person who is not eligible for BH plates what happens in a case like this? Do they have to revert to state plates or can they simply buy the BH plate registered vehicle?

Would appreciate if anyone with experience in this matter can shed some light

I think all of this is cleared up in the latest notification regarding BH registration. It clearly mentions that if you are not eligible for BH registration due to change of obs, then you have to re-register the vehicle under state registration. If a BH registered vehicle is sold to a non eligible person, they have to remit the state road tax.

https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/f...rk%20Rules.pdf

• Provided further that if a vehicle registered in BH-Series, is transferred in the name of such person who is not eligible for BH-Series, as per clause (ca) or (cb) of sub-rule (1) of rule 47, then such vehicle shall be liable for assignment of new registration mark from regular registration series prevailing in the concerned State/UT and such vehicle shall also be liable for motor vehicle tax as per the taxation rules of concerned State/UT.
  
• Provided also that if a vehicle registered in BH-Series, is transferred in the name of such person who is eligible for BH-Series, then such vehicle shall continue to be validly registered under BH series so long as transferee remains eligible for BH series.
  
• Provided also that if at any time owner of vehicle registered in BH-Series, ceases to be eligible for BH-Series, as per clause (ca) and (cb) of sub-rule (1) of rule 47, then such vehicle shall continue to be registered under BH series for the remaining period for which tax has been paid.

I have been running from pillar to post trying to obtain BH registration here in Kerala, due to the cut-throat tax rates implemented. I have been unsuccessful so far, as the government has filed an appeal to a court order, and it is still sub-judice.

From personal enquiries made, I understand that even the state emplyees themselves would like to avail this facility, but the government is determined to squeeze taxpayers for all the blood they can get.

But the one ray of hope is that they can't postpone this indefinitely. They will have to implement it sooner or later. The latest BH notification dtd 4th Oct 2022 linked above, also provides for existing vehicles to be converted to BH series of they are eligible. As soon Kerala implements BH, I am getting my money back, hopefully.

[SkylineGTR]

Originally Posted by vivekgk

I think all of this is cleared up in the latest notification regarding BH registration. It clearly mentions that if you are not eligible for BH registration due to change of obs, then you have to re-register the vehicle under state registration. If a BH registered vehicle is sold to a non eligible person, they have to remit the state road tax.

https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/f...rk%20Rules.pdf

Thanks for sharing the notification. My bigger concern is with ground level RTO workers not being aware of the process and causing unnecessary delays and cost overruns for me. I currently live in a BJP ruled state and will move to a BJP ruled state (most prob) so I don't expect political challenges to the move as such.

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

Thanks for sharing the notification. My bigger concern is with ground level RTO workers not being aware of the process and causing unnecessary delays and cost overruns for me. I currently live in a BJP ruled state and will move to a BJP ruled state (most prob) so I don't expect political challenges to the move as such.

The scenario you are going to get into is a grey area and guidelines are still evolving. State govt are trying to tweak the rules to restrict this BH facility as much as possible. Even in BJP rules state (Karnataka), they are not allowing BH registration to pvt job employees citing frivolous reasons, even if the person and employer satisfy the criteria.

Point Im trying to make is that you can only hope for the best as the ground realities for implementation and subsequent years tax collection are still left to the state govt and RTO. Both of these parties don't want to lose the tax revenues and hence not willing to make the rules transparent and BH series available for deserving people.

[jinojohnt]

As per initial reports, central govt is just testing waters by providing the BH facility for few citizens. Finally all vehicle registrations will move to BH, hopefully. Hence many of the apprehensions for converting BH to non-BH and vice versa, will soon vanish.

[pannags]

Received this from a source outside Team-BHP. Good news for private sector employees waiting for BH registration in Karnataka.

[GJ01]

News sites are calling out tweaks to the BH series registration


https://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...le66270319.ece

Quoting:
"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has allowed the conversion of regular vehicle registrations into Bharat Series (BH) numbers as part of measures to widen the scope of the BH series ecosystem.

Earlier, only new vehicles could opt for the BH series mark.

In an official statement, the MoRTH said over the course of the implementation of BH series registration mark rules, several representations have been received towards strengthening the BH series ecosystem."

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by GJ01

News sites are calling out tweaks to the BH series registration


[
Quoting:
"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has allowed the conversion of regular vehicle registrations into Bharat Series (BH) numbers as part of measures to widen the scope of the BH series ecosystem.

Earlier, only new vehicles could opt for the BH series mark.

."

Prima facie this is definitely good news.
I guess now that it will be possible to move from a standard number to a BH series number if the private company one works for has multiple offices and one is in a transferable job.
Or is this still a requisite criterion?
I guess also that BH has a different rate of tax payable to the RTO. Is this understanding correct?

If the above are true then how is the tax handled?
In KA for example one pays ~ 20% RTO Tax which entitles one to drive that vehicle for the next 15 years.
Let us consider that the vehicle whose registration we are wishing to be switched over, is 2 years old at the time of such switching.
Basis the above, will there be some kind of adjustment made, from the Road Tax already paid up and a subsequent refund made for the remainder,
on a pro-rata basis?
Is there a way of achieving greater clarity on the operational procedures and charges?
Thanks in advance for more information on this subject.

[MDED]

https://https://www.thehindu.com/new...72019.ece/amp/Huge relief to the private sector employees. Karnataka HC has now ordered the state government to register BH series vehicle of private sector staff.

[bivision]

Originally Posted by MDED

https://https://www.thehindu.com/new...72019.ece/amp/Huge relief to the private sector employees. Karnataka HC has now ordered the state government to register BH series vehicle of private sector staff.

I got my new car allocation and may go for registration by month end. I wanted BH registration as an eligible pvt sector employee, but settled for KA registration only as state govt was not allowing it.
Now that it is enabled through high court, what is the option new car buyers have to get the BH registration?

1. Postpone car purchase until legality settles down (Govt may go to supreme court and/or delay implementation of the process by RTO)? Car prices will go up after December.
2. Get temp registration - but only valid for one month, so will be forced to go for KA regn after a month if above is not settled by then?
3. Purchase with KA registration, but there will be provision to change it to BH registration later? RTO may not allow this or there may be procedural issues (same as post #793).

I requested car dealer to find out the details if it will be enabled soon, waiting to hear back from him.