NEW DELHI: Come September 15, the government will allow registration of personal vehicles under a new “BH” series which will ensure seamless transfer across states and do away with the need for re-registration when the owner shifts from one state to another.
To begin with, such registration will be allowed for people in transferable jobs such as in defence, central and state governments, PSUs and also in private sector companies which have offices in four or more states and UTs.
The new regime of “Bharat” (BH) series of vehicles, notified by the road transport ministry, will be a voluntary scheme for the specific categories of vehicle owners. In the long run, the government aims to bring all vehicles under this series for uniformity and hassle-free transfer. The registration number of such vehicles will mention the year of registration, BH mark, numerical numbers and alphabets.
Currently, a person is allowed to keep a vehicle for a maximum of 12 months in any state other than the state where it is registered. The owner has to get such vehicles re-registered within this deadline.
TOI had on April 28 first reported this move to have one national registration series for such personal vehicles.
The vehicle owners who opt for this scheme will have to pay road tax for two years or in multiples of two. “After completion of the 14th year, the motor vehicle tax or road tax shall be levied annually and it will be half of the amount which was charged earlier for that vehicle,” a ministry official said.
The entire process will be made online to ensure there is no need to go to the RTOs. The ministry has fixed the road tax at 8% for vehicles costing up to Rs 10 lakh, 10% for those costing between Rs 10-20 lakh and 12% for vehicles costing over Rs 20 lakh. There will be 2% extra charge for diesel vehicles and electric vehicles shall be charged 2% less tax.
As of now, while registering private vehicles, the owners pay 15 years’ road tax upfront. If they transfer their vehicles to any other state and go for re-registration, they need to pay the road tax for the remaining years such as 10 or 12 years.
