Two Years’ Tax Collected, but Renewal Granted for Only One Year
Serious Questions Raised Over the Working Practices of the Balaju Transport Office
Dragon Media Correspondent
It has emerged that the Transport Management Office in Balaju, Kathmandu, collected vehicle tax and penalties equivalent to two fiscal years from a service recipient who had been regularly paying vehicle tax, but recorded a renewal for only one year in the blue book.
According to the cash receipt issued by the office on Shrawan 20, 2083, a total of Rs 59,800 was collected from the service recipient. The receipt clearly shows that under the private vehicle tax heading, Rs 25,000 was collected as outstanding dues, Rs 25,000 as tax for the current period and Rs 8,000 as a penalty, bringing the total under that heading to Rs 58,000.
In addition, Rs 500 was collected as a renewal fee and Rs 1,300 as pollution-related fees and penalties. When all these amounts are added together, the total reaches Rs 59,800, as stated on the receipt.
However, despite collecting an amount equivalent to two years’ tax, the registration certificate, or blue book, of the concerned vehicle was renewed for only one year. The service recipient said that vehicle tax had been paid regularly every year in the past and that, on this occasion, he had gone for renewal after a delay of around one month, prepared to pay the prescribed penalty.
The imposition of a penalty for a one-month delay may fall within the legal process. However, collecting two years’ tax while granting renewal for only one year cannot be treated as an ordinary administrative error. It raises serious questions about the office’s tax calculation, electronic records, revenue collection and blue book updating procedures.
Although the receipt identifies Rs 25,000 as outstanding dues, the service recipient has not been provided with clear details regarding which fiscal year the amount relates to, why the tax previously paid was not reflected in the records and what legal basis was used to collect the amount twice.
A government body must provide a clear basis for every rupee collected from citizens. If tax for two years has been collected, the renewal must also be recorded for two years accordingly. If the renewal is to remain valid for only one year, the excess amount collected must be refunded immediately.
The concerned office must immediately cross-check the receipt, the revenue management system, previous tax records and the entries in the blue book, and make the facts public. An investigation should also be conducted to determine whether the situation arose from employee negligence, a systemic error or an incorrect tax calculation.
The Balaju Transport Office and the ministry responsible for the transport sector in Bagmati Province must provide the service recipient with a written explanation. If excess collection is confirmed, the amount must be refunded immediately or the renewal period corrected. The practice of collecting tax twice from citizens while providing service for only one year cannot be accepted under any pretext.
