Chandigarh RLA told to refund road tax on hybrid car, pay Rs 25,000
Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 13
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission here has directed the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation and litigation cost to a city resident for wrongly charging road tax of Rs 1,42,588 on a hybrid car. It has also ordered refund of the road tax with 9 percent to the resident.
A resident of Chandigarh, P S Bhinder, in the complaint filed before the commission said he booked a hybrid car on December 5, 2023, at M/s Lally Automobiles (India) Private Limited, Chandigarh, for Rs.20.6 lakh.
He said he was told by the dealer that there was no road tax on hybrid vehicles and for that reason he opted for a higher model, keeping in view the tax rebate. When he visited the RLA office for registration of the vehicle, he was informed that he had to pay road tax on the car even if it was hybrid. The RLA officials added that 50 per cent road tax was being levied on hybrid cars costing up to Rs 20 lakh and full road tax on hybrid cars above Rs 20 lakh in terms of a new notification dated December 8, 2023.
The dealer had stated that they had not received any order from the competent authorities with regard to imposition of road tax in case of hybrid cars. He procured the copy of the notification with regard to road tax being charged by the RLA in case of hybrid cars. It was digitally signed at 3.07 pm on December 8, 2023, and only thereafter the said notification would come into force. He said he had purchased the vehicle much prior to issuance of notification.
On the other hand the dealer said he had no role in the matter. The RLA in the reply denied the charges and said that complainant had purchased the vehicle on December 8, 2023.
After hearing of the arguments the commission said, “In this case the complainant purchased the vehicle at 1.07 pm, much prior to the issuance of the notification. Therefore, the complainant is not liable to pay any road tax on his hybrid car.”
It added that the RLA is directed to refund the road tax to the complainant along with 9 per cent interest and also pay Rs 25,000 as compensation for causing mental agony.
