KARACHI, Feb 19: The Sindh Excise and Taxation Department has decided to launch a campaign against about 0.3 million vehicles plying in Karachi in default of Motor Vehicle Tax (MVT) for the last three to five years.

The vehicles in default of the tax include 16,000 commercial vehicles, like buses, minibuses, coaches, taxis etc. The department has announced that the vehicles would be allowed to pay the tax within a month after which heavy penalties will be imposed on them, including impounding of the vehicles and suspension of their registration. The relaxation period begins from February 20.

The Excise and Taxation Director (admn), Karachi, Manzoor Ali Awan, told PPI on Tuesday that the defaulting vehicles would have to pay the tax along with a penalty.

Giving a breakdown, Mr Awan said 10,80,907 vehicles were registered in the city, of which 4,93,436 were cars and jeeps; 3,97,311 motorcycles; 17,569 buses and minibuses; 30,478 rickshaws; 39,967 taxis; 18,567 trucks; 3,421 tractors, and 82,569 other vehicles. However, currently 7,90,394 vehicles were on the roads, he added.

To a query he replied that a number of vehicles registered in Karachi were reportedly plying in other cities and provinces, depositing tax there without any intimation to the E&T office in Karachi, which was required under the law.

Mr Awan said the drive for the recovery of MVT and action against the defaulting vehicles was already in progress. During the campaign, launched in December on the directive of provincial excise and taxation secretary Masood Rahman, the department had so far recovered Rs7,95,167, impounded 36 vehicles and seized documents of about 380 vehicles.

As regards overall MVT collection, he said that recovery on the account had exceeded the target as the department collected Rs472 million till January 31 against the target of Rs455 million.

Mr Awan said the motor registration wing of the department had also prepared new number-plates of all categories of commercial vehicles.

He asked the owners of such vehicles to collect the number-plates from the MR Wing, located at Civic Centre, after showing original registration book within a month as after that period, he said, the vehicles having no new/original number-plate would be fined.—PPI