In the wake of the Kurnool bus fire tragedy, private bus and tourist vehicle operators in Karnataka have urged the govt to act against tourist buses registered in other states but operating on inter-state routes.
They alleged that several operators evade taxes by registering their vehicles in northeastern states, Odisha, or UTs.
“Some states charge much lower fees for registering all-India tourist permit vehicles. In Karnataka, we pay between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 6 lakh depending on bus type, whereas in some states, the fee is as low as Rs 20,000. Take the bus involved in the recent accident — it was first registered in a UT and later in Odisha before operating on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad route. An investigation will reveal whether it was involved in tax evasion. Over 3,700 such buses operate on inter-state routes after registering outside Karnataka to evade taxes. They directly compete with operators who pay higher taxes here. We urge the transport department to take prompt action against these illegal operations,” Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association president said.
When asked about such buses running in Karnataka with permits obtained elsewhere, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “High courts in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have directed departments to act against vehicle owners who deliberately avoid paying taxes in their respective states. Our officials are already on the job, and on Friday, they booked cases and seized 25 buses.”
Source #TOI
