Doctors and toll tax and red-light exemptions
Dr KK Aggarwal
President CMAAO and HCFI
The lawyers and doctors, including IMA have asked the
government to provide toll tax exemption
on National Highways. Currently the ambulances are exempted.
As per the definition an ambulance is a vehicle equipped to
provide emergency care to sick or injured people and to get them to hospital.
Ambulances can also be used to transport patients between hospitals. There are
several types of ambulance, all specially equipped and including: vans (the
most common type of ambulance) four-wheel drives.
I personally feel that doctor are different than the
community, they are allowed to prefix Dr
in front of their name and are supposed to say no tro any emergency.
They must be allowed this privilege not only for toll tax
but also to cross the roads in preference as given to any ambulance. Also during
odd even restrictions doctors vehicles should be exempted.
Simultaneously it is also the duty of every doctor to equip
their vehicle in question with all basic emergency facilities to handle any
emergency. The government may certify these vehicles separately.
Would like to know from other NMAs if such privileges are
given in any country.
Toll Tax
While this tax is mandatory and is charged in toll plazas
along the highways across India, the rates vary because each toll plaza is
accountable for a certain distance of the road. This taxation does is exempted
for certain people including VIPs in the country of certain officials who have
been listed in the last section.
Toll Tax Policy
Policy for collecting toll tax is based on the National
Highways Act, 1956 (48 of 1956) provisions as well as the National Highways Fee
(Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, when this amendment was
made. As of 2016 there are 390 toll tax collection fee plazas across the
national highways in India. Based on the current policy literature any road
with 6 lanes with 4 lanes already running is tolled even if the highway is not
fully completed. As of 2016, there is no separate regulatory authority running
independently for this taxation.
Toll Tax Exemption List
Any vehicle which has the following people will be exempted
toll tax across India:
1. President
of India;
2. Prime-Minister
of India;
3. Vice-President
of India;
4. Chief
Justice of India;
5. Governor
of any State in India;
6. Speaker
of the House of People;
7. Cabinet
Minister of the Union
8. Judge of
the Supreme Court;
9. Governor
of any State in India;
10. Minister of
State of the Union;
11. Member of
Parliament;
12. Lieutenant
Governor of any Union Territory in India;
13. Chief of
Staff holding a full General or equivalent rank;
14. Chairman of
the Legislative Council of a State;
15. Speaker of
the Legislative Assembly of any State in India;
16. Chief
Justice of a High Court;
17. Judge of a
High Court;
18. Army
Commander or Vice-Chief of Army Staff and equivalent in other services;
19. Foreign
dignitary on State visit;
20. Chief
Secretary to a State Government within concerned State;
21. Secretary
to the Government of India;
22. Secretary,
Council of States;
23. Secretary,
House of People;
24. A Member of
Legislative Assembly of a State in the state premises, with identity proof.
25. A Member of
Legislative Council in the borders of their respective State, with identity
proof.
26. Awardees of
the following recognition, with adequate identity proof:
• Param Vir
Chakra, Ashok Chakra,
• Maha Vir
Chakra, Kirti Chakra,
• Vir
Chakra,
• Shaurya
Chakra.
The other vehicles which are exempted from the toll tax
include:
1. Vehicle
under or with a passenger who is from the Ministry of Defence including people
eligible for toll exemption based on the provisions of the Indian Toll (Army
and Air Force) Act, 1901 and laws including the Navy;
2. Central
and State armed forces in uniform including para military forces and police;
3. An
executive Magistrate;
4. Vehicle
belonging to the fire-fighting Department or organisation;
5. Vehicle
belonging to the National Highways Authority of India;
6. Vehicle
belonging to any other Government agency or organisation for purposes of
survey, inspection, operation or construction and maintenance of national
highways;
7. Vehicle
used as ambulance;
8. Vehicle
used as funeral van
Why government doctor not exempted for toll tax
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