Citing lockdown, schools seek vehicle tax exemption

Justice Anita Sumanth before whom the plea came up ordered notice to the State returnable in a week. The association represented by its State general secretary K Palaniyappan contended that despite the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issuing an advisory on June 9 instructing all State governments to consider grant of exemption to transporters considering the plight of the present situation, the Transport Department was forcing institutions to pay the tax and other charges during the lockdown when the vehicles were not allowed to ply.

The association wanted a direction to the Transport Department Secretary to abide by the central and consider granting exemption from payment of tax like road tax, green tax and other fees payable by the educational institutions or at least frame a suitable scheme waiving payment for the lockdown period and enable them to pay the arrear amount in instalments after the lockdown ended.

Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Vijay Anand also submitted that private institutes were facing a very difficult situation and hence the exemption was justified as none of the vehicles had plied during the lockdown and with no schools, collection of fees has also not been allowed.