If the trend of no green tax collection since Sunday night is anything to go by, the cess that should be deposited in the Delhi Government’s account through the Transport department every Friday will be a big zero this week, according to sources. SMYR Consortium llP — the firm authorised to collect toll tax has maintained its stand stating that as they have not received any response on their points, they will not be collecting green taxes as of now.
“We have maintained our stand over the issue of green tax collection. We have not begun collecting tax from commercial vehicles as we have not received any response to our 11 points. Once there is some clarity over our demands, we will take the next step. Right now we are waiting for the response,” said Kishore Agarwal, a partner in SMYR Consortium llP.
After the toll collector issued a legal notice stating its reservations in implementing the ECC, the Delhi Government had criticised the SDMC on Monday for failing to implement the SC order.
Sources in the corporation, however, said the toll collector is likely to comply with the SC order, adding, “The process will be such that the total expenditure of the tax collection will be minus from toll tax collection.”
Since Sunday, thousands of trucks entered the city through 127 entry points without having to pay environment tax — aimed at improving the fast deteriorating air quality — imposed by the Supreme Court. Around 50,000 commercial vehicles, mostly trucks, enter Delhi every day.
The SDMC said it has engaged a contractor to collect the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) — Rs700 on small and medium trucks and Rs1,300 on large trucks — but the private entity could not do so due to lack of infrastructure.
Among other things, the firm is afraid of violence that may occur during tax collection. “They want security of staff, extra free, tax policy and traffic chaos. We are not authorised to address these issues. We have, therefore, referred the letter to the Delhi Government. We have nothing to do in this matter anymore. Either the Delhi Government will respond to SMYR Consortium llP or the court will order accordingly,” said Radhe Shyam Sharma, Standing Committee chairperson of SDMC.
The SDMC had approached the apex court earlier when the concessionaire refused to collect the additional taxes stating that it violates the contract. “In the letter to the SDMC, the concessionaire had mentioned that according to toll tax agreement between the SDMC and SMYR Consortium llP, the latter is not contractually liable to collect ECC (Environment Compensation Charge), but is supposed to do so after the SC orders,” said Sharma.