KARACHI, Dec 24: All the four provinces have agreed to adopt a uniform rate for motor vehicle registration to prevent diversion of revenue from one province to the other where rates are cheaper.

The agreement came at a meeting of the directors-general of excise and taxation of Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh convened by the Sindh Minister for Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla in Karachi on Monday to promote cooperation in motor vehicle registration among provinces.

Though provinces have the right to fix their MVR rates, a uniform rate would help encourage owners to register their vehicles in their home provinces, thus contributing to its revenue, it was stated at the meeting.

The meeting was informed that a large number of vehicles from Sindh, especially trucks, water tankers and oil tankers get registration plates from Lasbela, where registration fee is lesser than Sindh.

The meeting also discussed online link of computer systems for vehicle registration to check bogus or duplicate registration, and also prevent registration of vehicles smuggled into one province in another province.

The meeting also discussed the issue of online verification of data on imported cars with Customs to ensure swift and foul-free registration of imported vehicles.

Director General Sindh Excise Asif Marghoub Siddiqui informed the meeting that the online verification of data of imported cars with Customs has been successfully functioning in Sindh and there was a need for other provinces to make the system effective. The issue of payment of road tax by vehicles registered in other provinces also came up for discussion. It was noted that owners of such vehicles have to pay double tax when they return to their home province where the vehicle was registered.

The directors-general agreed to make necessary amendment in laws, which would require other provinces to transfer the tax amount charged from such vehicles to the province of their original registration. This would also save vehicle owners from payment of double tax. The provinces agreed to evolve a system whereby such tax amounts would be reconciled among the provinces periodically.

Mr Asif informed the meeting that the MVR department in Karachi has a counter, which has complete information about vehicle tax paid in other provinces. There is a need to open such counters in other provinces.

The meeting, which was chaired by Sindh Excise Secretary Naseer Jamali was attended by Mohammad Zaman, director general excise Balochistan, director-general MVR NWFP Dr Amber Ali Khan, director MVR Punjab Rizwan Sherwani and director MVR Sindh Shoaib Siddiqui.