All you need to know about road tax in India 28^th January 2022

Several state and national highways link India's vast geography. The country's roadways network stretches over 5 million kilometres while consistently increasing and is one of the largest roadway networks globally.

This vastly interconnected system is financed by the Indian Government that collects a sum of taxes from the citizens for the regular maintenance of the roads. Therefore, it is integral for every citizen to pay their taxes on time for the smooth functioning of the roadway system.

What is Road Tax?
When purchasing a vehicle, an individual must pay the base manufacturing price and a few extra charges. These additional charges typically include registration fees, relevant motor insurance, and a motor or Road Tax. The road tax is a sum of money paid while purchasing a vehicle in the state or country. The tax differs in all states as it is subjected to different tax structures and clauses.
A certain amount of road or toll tax is levied on vehicles using the state or national highways. These taxes differ according to state regulations, highway distance, and other relevant factors.

Who determines the Road Tax?
These Government bodies typically determine the road tax:

1. The state government levies the state vat tax, toll tax, annual or lifetime motor vehicles tax, and passenger and goods tax.

2. The Central Government levies the GST, customs duty, central excise, central sales tax, and other additional charges depending on the vehicle category.

Who has to pay the Road Tax?
While purchasing a vehicle, motor insurance is not the only cost that the individual must incur. The road tax is a compulsory tax that the individual must pay while purchasing a new vehicle. In India, this tax is charged on both private and commercial vehicles. Every individual who purchases motorised vehicles such as bikes or scooters, cars, auto-rickshaws, or even buses and trucks, needs to pay the tax irrespective of the vehicle's size.
Although the vehicle's manufacturing cost price primarily determines this tax, it is typically calculated considering other factors such as the motor or engine capacity, seating capacity, weight, and cost price. Thus, the road tax paid by every individual differs based on the vehicle as well as the state of purchase.

When and Where to pay the Road Tax?
An individual must pay the road tax for a vehicle during its registration. Depending on the state's mandate, the tax can be paid with flexibility, either one-shot payment or in yearly instalments. The vehicle owners may choose to pay the tax offline or online as per their convenience. If one is shifting their residence to another state, they need to re-register their car in the RTO of the new state and then repay the road tax.
To sum up, paying the road tax is an essential duty of every vehicle owner as a responsible citizen to help contribute and maintain the country's roadway network. However, being responsible for your vehicle's safety is equally important, and you can achieve this by purchasing a motor insurance plan that offers complete protection to your valuable asset.

Click HERE to know more about motor insurance.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.