Hyderabad: The transport department of Telangana has decided that all motor vehicles entering Telangana from AP will be treated as vehicles from other states. This means that vehicles including contract carriages, goods carriages, motor cabs, maxicabs, commercial tractor trailers, passenger autorickshaws, etc. will have to pay a separate quarterly tax from April 1, 2015. This is likely to directly reflect on fares as operating costs will go up substantially.

“The erstwhile Andhra Pradesh had issued orders that in pursuance of provisions of Section 72(1) of AP Re-organisation Act, 2014, the Governor of AP resolved that the quarterly tax paid for any quarter up to March 31, 2015 in any of the Successor States shall be deemed to have been paid for both the successor states and thereafter new governments were to decide on the issue. Following this, certain transport vehicle operators had filed writ petitions in the High Court. The HC had asked the state’s transport departments to come up with a decision on the earlier order in seven days time. The transport commissioner of Telangana had requested the government to allow the transport department to collect quarterly taxes from vehicles originating from AP in the light of orders of the High Court. In a Government Order issued on Monday, the transport commissioner issued orders to tax vehicles coming from AP.

The order said, “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 3 of the Telangana Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, 1963 (adapted vide G.O.Ms.No.2, TR&B (Tr.I) Department, dated 17.6.2014) hereby directs that all the transport vehicles entering Telangana from AP shall be treated as other state vehicles and shall be taxed at specified rates.”