Plea in HC seeking exemption from paying road tax for school, college vehicles

A Plea in Madras HC seeks exemption from paying road tax for school, college vehicles. The petitioner submitted that with colleges and schools remaining closed, the vehicles that were used to transport the students were lying idle.

Chennai: An association of private educational institutions has approached the Madras High Court, seeking a direction to the state government to exempt them from paying road tax for school and college buses/vans for the lockdown period.

Admitting the plea moved by All India Private Educational Institutions Associations, Justice Anita Sumanth directed the state government to file its reply in a week.

The petitioner submitted that with colleges and schools remaining closed, the vehicles that were used to transport the students were lying idle.

However, the institutions are liable to pay the road tax and green tax to the state government once every three months. The institutions were already facing financial burden as they are not permitted to demand fees from parents for the lockdown period.

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Therefore, insisting them to pay taxes for the lockdown period would make a huge impact in their finances, the petitioner further submitted.

The association also contended that the government should at least consider permitting such institutions to pay the taxes in instalments.

Referring to a notification issued by the Central government dated June 9 instructing state governments to consider granting exemptions in payment of taxes considering the unprecedented crisis, the petitioner submitted the Himachal Pradesh government has already granted such exemption to vehicles of educational institutions.

(PTI report)