All-India Motor Transport Congress meets Finance Minister to seek uniform diesel price across India

The All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this week requesting the government to move towards ‘uniform diesel prices’ across the country – using the ‘One Nation, One Market, One Tax’ formula.

The meeting also focused on lowering the cost of operations for the transportation sector by lowering the GST on essential and non-luxury goods like chassis, tyres, spares, lubricants, and truck maintenance services.

Bal Malkit Singh, Chairman of the Core Committee and Former President of the All India Motor Transport Congress told Autocar Professional that the government should make vehicle registration of all stakeholders in the transportation ecosystem mandatory. Currently, the lack of uniformity in motor vehicle tax causes vehicle registrations to be diverted to the states where the tax rate is low.

Another issue they raised was that of timely refund of TDS or tax deducted at source. "Many transporters have yet to receive timely refunds of TDS for FY 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23." He urged FM Sitharaman to look into the issue which she has agreed to do, Bal Malkit Singh stated.

The AIMTC also brought up the seizure of vehicles on the road due to the non-payment of EMIs. "We have requested FM Sitharaman to develop the SOP for vehicle seizure in the event of default and to direct all financial Institutions to allow timely delivery of material to the consignee."

In the case of multiple consignments, the consignments where some discrepancy or misdeclaration is suspected should be offloaded, and/or such non-compliant GSTIN registered traders should be identified.

If notices are issued against them, Bal Malkit Singh told FM Sitharman, there will be no financial consequences for the truck owner or transporter. "There should be no liability for the trucker, and the vehicles should not be detained," he added.

Bal Malkit Singh further stated that since all data regarding the validity of documents related to vehicles is already available online on the VAHAN portal and the and the mParivahan App of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, random checks should not be carried out on vehicles based on "reason to believe" or "specific information."