Fancy getting a number plate that goes hand in hand with your personality? In the near future, you will be able to get your very own custom number plate courtesy of the Excise and Taxation Department of Punjab government.
The Punjab government is looking to change the pattern of the number plates on vehicles in the province. They have observed that many people want to customize their number plates to their liking. So they figured why not make this legal, and generate more revenue for the provincial authorities in the process.
We are going to introduce universal number plates,” said Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmad, Minister for Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control.
In addition to this, the city-centric plates will be phased out in favor of the new provincial-centric number plates.
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Smart Cards are Replacing Vehicle Registration Book from This Month in Pakistan
In order to ensure that there’s no compulsion on a car buyer’s part to get a new registration plate every time they buy a car, the Punjab government will be auctioning the number plates online and registering those against the bidder’s name.
Experts question how could a vehicle be sold which has a permanent registration on a person’s name? Plus it could also cause security concerns.
Tax on Imported Cars
There have been suggestions to minimize the luxury tax imposed on imported cars below 1500cc engine capacity to Rs 15,000. Currently, a luxury car has a tax of Rs 150,000 in Lahore. However, critics have said that no such luxury tax is levied on a similar car in Islamabad.
Smart cards are also being launched this month in Punjab, and they will be replacing registration books. There’s no word on when the provincial government will be launching the universal number plates system but sources say that it is expected to be announced soon.
