Businessmen have complained that Lumbini province is collecting toll from vehicles at Belhia crossing, contrary to the federal government's cancellation decision.
What you should know
Although the federal government through the current budget has decided to cancel the route license fee that is being collected from vehicles entering the country temporarily from India, the Lumbini state government is collecting this fee. In the budget, there is a provision that after collecting duties at the customs point, the union, state or local level cannot collect entry fees, route duties or any other fees.
However, against the decision of the union, the district industrialists have said that they are still collecting such duty through a temporary office outside the Bhairahawa customs office.
The federal government has decided to cancel the duty after tourism businessmen complained that tourism has been affected and traffic has decreased due to double duty collection. However, the industrialists of Rupandehi protested after the state government continued to collect the dues by appointing employees in the same place as before. Transport staff are collecting tolls under the supervision of armed police at the integrated check post at Belhia border crossing.
According to industrialists, vehicles entering from Belhia crossing have been 'diverted' to other crossings due to route customs. Many vehicles have started entering through Kalidah in Lumbini, Krishnanagar in Kapilvastu, Suthauni and Maheshpur Customs in West Navalparasi. Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, who came to the district last week, was informed by the businessmen that the route duty was still being collected in Belhia.
The government of Lumbini province is collecting road (route) duty from vehicles with foreign numbers (except cargo vehicles) by arranging in the financial act of the current year. This fee is not charged at other points. According to businessmen, the tourist vehicles coming from Belhia have been diverted to other routes.
The state has said that such a fee is being collected according to Section 11 of the Road Traffic, Transport and Transportation Act 2076. According to the Economic Act, 200 rupees are collected from motorcycles or scooters, 300 rupees from small vehicles, 700 rupees from medium-sized vehicles and 1000 rupees from large vehicles. Even though the customs office opens at 6 in the morning, the employees of the transport office arrive at the checkpoint only at 10 o'clock, so the tourists who enter the country early are at a disadvantage, businessmen said.
'It seems that the province is independent in some matters and has made its own policies,' said Nar Bahadur Aryal, Acting Head of Transport Management Office in Bhairahawa, 'This fee can be stopped only if the association sends a written request not to implement it.'
Netra Acharya, president of Siddharth Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the federal government canceled the duty because the businessmen demanded to stop double tax collection at the customs point during the suggestion collection program before the budget formulation. "We made this demand because the tourist vehicles coming from Belhia pass were in trouble," he said, "even if the federal government has canceled it, it is illegal for the state government to collect the customs duty." "Federal laws must be followed," he said. "The higher authorities have been informed that there is no collection other than the customs duty at the customs point."
