May 18, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

KARACHI, May 17: The motor vehicle registration department (MVR) would start a one-week drive against vehicle tax defaulters from Monday (May 19) to enhance revenue before the close of the financial year.

Apart from tax defaulters, the checking squads would take action against owners of vehicles without registration as well as AFR and personalised number plates.

Vehicles with serious tax defaults would be impounded and in case of minor defaults documents would be seized.

Action would also be taken against those who are driving vehicles not registered in their names.

The department has set up special checking teams, headed by an ETO, and divided the metropolitan into 13 sectors.

Director MVR Shoaib Siddiqui told Dawn that the campaign was being launched in May as it was a dull period for payment of vehicle tax and most of people rush to tax counters to clear their dues before June 30 to avoid penalty.

The department collected Rs7.64 million tax dues during a previous campaign in May last during which about 10,762 vehicles were checked, and 214 were impounded with serious tax defaults.

The MVR collected vehicle tax worth Rs1520.78 million in July-April 2008 against Rs1380,64 million during the same period last year, marking a 10 per cent increase.

The number of vehicles registered up to December 2007 was 1,89,500. On average about 500 bikes, 275 cars and 50 to 60 commercial vehicles are registered daily at the MVR in Karachi.

Meanwhile, the MVR launched computerised registration book on Friday at a simple ceremony, presided over excise minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla.

The Security Printing Corporation of Pakistan would print details of owners and vehicles, and it would eliminate chances of tampering with the registration books.