You might have noticed lately on the Goan roads the high end (expensive) vehicles (cars) registration number starting with letters PY (stands for Pondicherry) and you might be wondering as where these vehicles are coming from and that too many driven by the local businessmen. If you have that question at the back of your mind then read this shocking report here.
[su_expand more_text=”READ MORE” less_text=” ” height=”0″ hide_less=”yes” link_style=”button” link_align=”center”]PY registration stands for the vehicles registered at Pondicherry just like GA stands for Goa registered vehicles. Recently there is the steep rise in the high-end vehicles which are registered at Pondicherry but running on the Goan roads by the local businessmen.
Do not start wondering if you find the high-end cars such as BMW, Mercedes, and PORCHE running on the Goan roads with registration plate starting with the letters PY. They are actually vehicles owned by the local businessmen but registered at Pondicherry.
The question here is, why the local businessmen are getting their expensive vehicles registered in Pondicherry instead of Goa? The answer to this is very simple it is due to the huge difference on registration tax between Goa and Pondicherry. According to the sources, Goa charges 15% registration tax on new vehicles while Pondicherry charges only 1%.
This issue was brought into the light by Shiv Sena. They exposed the existing irregularities in the vehicles registration process in Goa and nearby Pondicherry where the taxation is the fraction of Goa. “Tax on registering a vehicle in Pondicherry is only one per cent, while in Goa one has to pay more than 15 percent. We have noticed a spurt in vehicles with Pondicherry number plates on Goan roads,” local Shiv Sena unit Chief Sudip Tamankar told the media.
Mr. Tamhankar alleged that it is quite possible that due to a huge difference in taxation in two states the people of Goa prefers to register their vehicles in Pondicherry to save taxes. Mr. Tamhankar also pointed out that the former transport director Arun Desai has been transferred to Pondicherry and calling it a coincidence to avoid any controversy. “We have also understood that former Goa Transport Director Arun Desai has been transferred to Pondicherry,” said Mr. Tamhankar adding that it could be just a coincidence.
It may be recalled that in the recent assembly session the road tax had been raised to 15% to which the Transport Minister had justified saying it is due to a number of vehicles in the state are on the rise. “Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar in the Assembly had justified the hike stating that number of vehicles in the state is on the rise,” Mr. Tamankar said. Tamhankar also alleged that He said the majority of non-Goans living in the state can get their vehicles registered on the leave and license document or by an affidavit about their residential proof whose authenticity is never checked by state Transport Department. “But Goans have to submit a number of documents including voting card, Aadhaar card, and others to prove their identity,” he said. “We have written to the Transport Department asking them to issue a circular to all Regional Transport Offices to verify the authenticity of the leave and license document or affidavit sworn by appointing an officer before registration,” he said.
It looks like the law is made for the benefits of the few people. Registration of vehicles outside Goa is only amounting into losses to the government treasury while the government is silent on the issue. The involvement of the former transport director has not been ruled out in this case. What do you think about this entire issue? Please share your views on this.
Source: Various sources
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