GST mess puts brakes on new vehicle registration

This has put thousands of new buyers across the state in a fix. Dealers too have been affected as they are running short of space for new arrivals. “This is affecting sales as well. 

Anxious customers are picking a fight with us everyday,” the manager of a two-wheeler outlet said. A representative in another leading outlet said that over 80 bikes and scooters were pending registration in their showroom. He claimed that Regional Transport Offices are yet to get their computers updated with the new tax rates. This has left customers fuming. 

“Though the loan for my vehicle was sanctioned last month, I waited till July 1 for the purchase as I was told that prices would drop after GST. But I am yet to get my bike. The dealer said he would call me after registration was over,” said D Paul Frederick of Ondipudur. 

Vehicles purchased before June 30 can be registered without glitches as old tax rates are still available with the RTO offices. Joint Transport Commissioner (JTC) for Coimbatore Region, P Muruganandam, told DTNext that the issue would be resolved within a day or two. Stating that this was a delay by the companies, he claimed that vehicle dealers were blaming the transport department for it. 

“The Commercial Tax Department is working on the revised tax. Each vehicle has more than 10 to 15 variants and the companies (manufacturers) should give the revised rates for the GST to be calculated for them,” he said.  

A senior RTO official said that the revised price fixed by the companies and GST should be shared with the National Information Centre (NIC) at Chennai as vehicle prices for the same variant vary from one state to another. “We were told that the computed prices would be uploaded by Wednesday (July 12) or Thursday,” the official said.