Andheri RTO seizes Mercedes Maybach of T-Series owner for non-payment of road tax
The Mercedes Maybach S 500 registered to Super Cassette Industries (T-series)
A Mercedes Maybach belonging to Bhushan Kumar, the owner of Super Cassette Industries (T-series), was seized by the flying squad of Andheri Regional Transport Office on Saturday for evading road tax in Maharashtra.
The high-end luxury car, a Mercedes Maybach S 500, is registered to Super Cassettes Industries PRI and bears a Puducherry registration.
The car was seized as a party on RTO’s ongoing drive against the owners of high-end vehicles, who use their vehicles in the city or state without paying the applicable road tax.
Registering vehicles in Maharashtra is an expensive affair as the state levies between 11 to 13 percent tax on luxury vehicles, one of the highest the country. Those registering their vehicles within Mumbai have to bear an additional Octroi tax.
As a result, many who purchase these expensive vehicles choose to register their cars in other states which have lower tax rates.
According to a senior RTO official, the Kumar’s car is estimated to cost around Rs 2 crores and will attract a 20 percent tax, implying an evasion of approximately Rs 40 lakh in taxes.
The company has been asked to submit the necessary documents pertaining to the car by Monday, following which the final tax amount would be calculated.
“There are several such cars plying on the streets of Mumbai whose owners are bonafide residents of Mumbai but have registered their cars showing temporary addresses in other states where road tax is lower than Maharashtra,” Govind Saindane from Andheri RTO told DNA.
“However the owners of these cars use them on Mumbai’s roads so it is only natural that tax should come into the state’s coffers,” he added.
Kumar’s spokesperson, meanwhile, told the daily that the car is being driven by the honcho’s mother, who is currently on a visit to Mumbai.
The crackdown on tax evaders started as a part of a special drive initiated by Transport Commissioner Praveen Gedam on January 14. In the first month alone, special flying squads seized a record 450 vehicles, of which over 400 were from the Mumbai region.
Actor Danny Denzongpa’s Range Rover, which was registered in Sikkim, was also seized last month and released after a payment of over Rs 29 lakh towards the tax and interest.
