Govt seeks action plan to recover Tk14,201cr in outstanding motor vehicle dues
At the same time, the government has extended the ongoing facility allowing vehicle owners to update registration-related documents by paying only the principal tax and fees without penalties until 30 June.
The Finance Division has directed the Road Transport and Highways Division to submit a detailed action plan for recovering outstanding taxes and fees from motor vehicles, as the government seeks to collect arrears amounting to Tk14,201 crore.
At the same time, the government has extended the ongoing facility allowing vehicle owners to update registration-related documents by paying only the principal tax and fees without penalties until 30 June.
The directive was issued in a letter sent by the Finance Division to the secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division on 17 June, according to finance ministry sources.
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According to the letter, the ministry has asked for necessary information, supporting documents and a concrete recovery strategy to verify and ensure collection of the outstanding dues.
The Road Transport and Highways Division has been instructed to provide a detailed breakdown of arrears from FY2000-01 to the current fiscal year, including outstanding fitness certificate fees, route permit fees, tax tokens, driving licence fees and other charges.
The Finance Division also sought category-wise data on arrears for commercial and non-commercial vehicles, separate statistics on active, inactive and scrapped vehicles, and information on vehicles with duplicate registrations.
In addition, the ministry has asked the division to assess the realistic recoverability of the outstanding amounts reflected in the database of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and explain how and within what timeframe the dues can be collected.
A practical implementation roadmap and logical framework for recovery must also be submitted.
The letter further requested information on actual revenue collection achieved under the previous 14 special waiver or amnesty programmes introduced to encourage vehicle owners to clear outstanding dues.
The Finance Division also sought details of actions taken under the Public Demand Recovery Act, 1913, including cases filed and their current status.
Authorities have additionally been asked to submit an assessment of how failure to renew vehicle fitness certificates under the Road Transport Rules, 2022 has affected road safety.
Proposals should also be prepared for a long-term and sustainable strategy to recover outstanding revenue without relying on repeated penalty waivers in the future, reads the letter.
