Lorry owners in Salem urge government to withhold road tax hike

State Lorry Owners Federation of Tamil Nadu president C. Dhanaraj on Friday urged the State government to hold the road tax hike.

Speaking to reporters in Salem on Friday, Mr. Dhanaraj said that the Tamil Nadu government passed a Bill hiking the road tax for all vehicles, and it came into immediate effect, which is shocking. Already, due to the diesel price hike and toll charge hike, over six lakh lorries were unable to operate.

Likewise, police slapping fines for trucks online is another major issue. “We took up the issue with the Police Department and the Transport Minister. Following this, slapping of fines online were reduced by 15%, and we thank them. The government has not asked the views of the general public and truck owners regarding the hike. After the hike, the road tax has increased to 40% for trucks. But, Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar claimed the hike is less compared to nearby States. If we compare the diesel price in Karnataka, it is ₹7.50 less per litre than in Tamil Nadu. We do not know how the Minister is comparing this hike with nearby States. We brought the issue to the Chief Minister’s attention and are waiting for a favourable decision,” Mr. Dhanaraj added.

Alleging that the Tamil Nadu government sees lorry owners as businessmen, Mr. Dhanaraj said that every time the government announces a welfare scheme, they first target lorry owners.

Compared to other businesses, truck owners have to pay taxes before getting fitness certificate. So, we urge the government to hold the road tax hike and save the livelihood of truck owners.

The general body meeting of the federation will be held in Namakkal on October 19. Many associations are participating in this meeting.

The meeting will decide whether to stage a one-day strike or an indefinite strike and will announce the date. “Considering the welfare of the public, we did not hike the rent. Two crore people are involved in the truck business, both directly and indirectly. This hike will affect their livelihood, and it will reflect in Lok Sabha elections. So, we urge the Chief Minister to protect two crore people. The government claims road tax has been hiked after 19 years. But, lorry business is not like it was 19 years ago,” Mr. Dhanaraj added.