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-   -   How the WB Govt. loots vehicle owners (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/68214-how-wb-govt-loots-vehicle-owners.html)

I had moved from KA to WB with my vehicles. So I went for paying the WB road tax and for transfer of registration. I got a shock!

Did you know that the WB road tax could be 50% higher than the Bangalore road tax (reputed to be amongst the highest in the country) ?!!
Well, please read on ...

Here is what I've learnt about an example of how the WB government loot vehicle owners (especially people transfering from other states):

• The road tax does not depend on the actual cost of the car! It is fixed based on the cubic capacity of the engine. And, the road tax amount is irrespective of the age of the vehicle (that's right, -- no depreciation with age)!

• You'll pay a lot (some 60%) higher if your car has AC!

• If your car is from another state, the amount of road tax is substantially higher (although you are now a resident of WB, and are paying the road tax just like any other resident); i.e. since they have the power to loot, they'll loot under whatever pretext!

• If your NOC date is more than 75 days earlier, you'll pay 100% of the first year's tax as penalty. I got my NOC in hand already more than two months after the signature date (owing to some Bangalore RTO "internal audit", and postal delay. There is no expiry date). So I pay thousands more as penalty!

My road tax amount (before the penalty) is 32k (for just 5 years) for my
almost 5-year old Baleno (i.e. close to 1 lakh for 15 years). For my new car,
I had paid a life time tax (15 years) of about 64k. So the WB road tax is
50% higher than what was charged in Bangalore, -- reputed to have
amongst the highest rate of road tax in the country. Not even close!

Our country and the Govt makes it very difficult to follow the law and be above board!! Very difficult to walk straight. We are a bunch of crooks

Another sad fact is, that on a 6 lakh car, the tax comes to around 34000, and that too for only 5 years. After five years you have to pay again.

What does one get it return of this tax? No new roads, No proper repairs of roads, and no proper planning. Twice every year, roads get dug up, and never repaired.

The traffic police is grossly ill equipped, both in equipment and grey matter.

also my friend, they will take away your car during election time without even telling you.

welcome to west bengal.

Traffic police?? what traffic police?
Most of the road I traverse daily is manned by so called 'traffic volunteers' (wonder why they bother to volunteer - guess they are paid) with a stick and a fluorescent jacket, and having ZERO knowledge of traffic regulations.

AND just how & why do they do that ??? what remedies / safeguards are available for the consumers against it ??

"Election duty" thing is there more or less in every state. Every govt has the power to invoke the law to confiscate vehicles in the name of election duty. On the paper it is shown that there are not enough vehicles available and hence even the private vehicles are being called into service.

In Hyderabad also during the elections our office transport dept. raises its hands. They are supposed to ferry employees round the clock everyday. However during elections a mail to all the managers stating the inability to maintain time, as the cabs are less in number due to confiscation, is a very common practice. Do not worry they pay you the going rate for rental of the car, only that it is the one fixed by the government and not the market rate. ;)

Due to this 5 year rule, the resale market dynamics are also somewhat affected. People do consider selling before the 5 year mark. And valuations of cars nearing the 5 year mark gets adjusted with the tax to be paid soon.

In a way the rule suits people who plan to change cars just short of 5 years. The first owner pays tax and uses the car for the full 5 year period and then the second owner pays for the next 5 yr period.

Now considering that a car owner needs to pay tax every 5 years anyway, if you replace your old car with a new one every 5 years, you would at least be paying the tax each time for a new car.

But yes, if you plan to sell off after, say 7 years, then you pay tax on year 0, year 5 and again year 7 when you buy your replacement.

So timing is key :)

how good, or bad, is the compliance?

Especially with cheap vehicles and two wheelers in rural areas.

Since the WB govt still considers cars to be 'luxury' items, they charge anything they please under that pretext.

As far as I recall they tax also if you have an ICE in the car and somewhere they introduces the water tax for car though scrapped later on .
Now question is what was the water tax -thier logic being car uses water as coolant -hilarious isn't it .

I think this 32k would be life time road tax & not for five years.It's just that you will have to renew your registration after five years but you won't have to pay any more road tax at that time, just the renewal fees.

How dare you drive a car, that too with AC in people's state, you bourgeois. Since you got so much money, pay it in extra taxes so we can feed our poor pockets.

OT. How much does a taxi in WB pay as taxes?

They don't have to pay road tax. They pay their respective trade union tax lol:.

Socialism is dead in the (former) USSR and China. But it is obviously alive and kicking in West Bengal. No wonder Tata moved out.

What they are telling you is sell your car and buy another in WB. So we get all our taxes.