Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government is yet to implement the centralised and uniform Bharat Series (BH) registration for private vehicles, fearing a dip in its revenue.
Though the Centre has rolled out the scheme and made an option to register vehicles under the BH series on Parivahan, the website of Central Ministry of Transport, the corresponding link could not be opened in Kerala.
In a written communication to the Centre, the state had voiced its concern over the loss of revenue. After Kerala's request, the Centre temporarily suspended the registration of BH series in the state.
The Central government, however, has informed the state that the implementation could not be put on hold indefinitely. Kerala would require to find alternatives to make good the loss of revenue.
The centralised Bharat series was introduced to avoid re-registration of vehicles in different states, enabling seamless interstate transfer of vehicles. Instead of the one-time payment of 15 years' tax, vehicle owners need to pay only the tax for two years under the new scheme.
The scheme would initially be available only to military personnel, officials of the Ministry of Defence, employees of public sector units and state and Central governments, and staff members of private firms with offices in at least four states.
How state loses
Currently, the tax in Kerala ranges from nine to 21 per cent of the consolidated price of the vehicle, GST and compensatory cess. The BH scheme would slash the tax to eight to 12 per cent of the vehicle price. Migrating to the Bharat Series scheme would benefit the customer.
Aadhaar-linked registration too delayed
Meanwhile, Kerala is yet to make it mandatory to furnish Aadhaar-linked mobile phone number for registering new vehicles. Though the state has consented to implement the Central directive issued six months ago, the state is yet to implement it.
