Municipal Road Tax Rules Will Hurt Business Activities: Chamber

Jharkhand/Ranchi: The Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce has raised objections to the draft Jharkhand Municipal Road Tax Rules-2025 issued by the Urban Development and Housing Department.

Considering the inconvenience caused to the business community by the provisions contained in the rules, a meeting of officials was held at the Chamber building on Sunday. The meeting stated that the proposal to impose additional road tax on commercial vehicles is impractical. This move will hamper the state's trade and industrial activities, further increase inflation, and place an unequal burden on both local traders and consumers.

In its objection to the department, the Chamber stated that this tax constitutes double taxation, as numerous taxes such as motor vehicle tax, toll tax, GST, and bus stand fees are already levied. This tax will increase transportation costs, leading to higher prices of essential goods and services, directly impacting the average consumer. Small traders and transporters will be the most affected by this, impacting their economic activities.

The Chamber stated that the tax collection process would create severe traffic jams and chaos at entry points to cities. Jharkhand's industrial and commercial competitiveness would be diminished compared to neigh-boring states. This proposal is against the spirit of "One Nation, One Tax" and the spirit of the GST reform. Chamber President Aditya Malhotra urged the departmental minister and secretary to withdraw this proposed tax.

Disclosing this information, Chamber General Secretary Rohit Agarwal stated that in light of the inconvenience caused by the road tax regulations, the Jharkhand Chamber has received suggestions from affiliated organizations across the state. In line with the suggestions of all organizations, the Jharkhand Chamber has lodged an objection and demanded a relaxation of the departmental decision.

Present at the meeting were Chamber President Aditya Malhotra, Vice President Praveen Lohiya, General Secretary Rohit Agarwal, and former President Kishore Mantri.