Panaji | April 03, 2016: Continuing its efforts to smoothen out hurdles for the mining industry and to reduce the financial burden on truck owners, the state government has extended road tax exemption for trucks transporting iron ore for another year or till full-fledged mining operations resume in the state.

First notified in 2013, the government has successively extended the road tax exemption while simultaneously distributing doles to the mining-affected individuals. Director and joint secretary (transport) Sunil Masurkar said that the government has extended the exemption for motor vehicles engaged in transportation of mineral ore from the payment of road tax for the period April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017, on the condition that the truck owners were registered as the owners of the vehicle. Masurkar also clarified that no claim from a third party would be entertained for exemption from payment of tax.

"In the event of resumption of transport activities of iron ore earlier to March 31, 2017, the truck or tipper owner shall pay the road tax on pro-rata basis for the remainder of the period of the year 2016-2017," Masurkar said.

Truck owners will also be expected to prove that the trucks or vehicles have been used exclusively for transportation of mineral ore in order to obtain the tax exemption.

Due to the crisis from the closure of mining industries in the state since September 2012, truck owners are struggling to pay back loans and make ends meet. Truck owners have also demanded that the mining companies pay higher than the government stipulated ore transportatio charges.

Transport department officials said that truck owners who wish to claim exemption should have paid the motor vehicle tax at the rate prescribed for the mining vehicle. Officials also said that any vehicle tax dues should have been cleared up by March 31, 2016.

If mining trucks were found to have been utilized for other activity or if pending dues were not cleared, truck owners were required to pay the road tax due on pro-rata basis.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)