BENGALURU: If you are already fretting over having to pay a slew of cesses -- Swachh Bharat Cess, Education Cess, Infrastructure cess -- then you have some more reason to worry.
From now on, you will have to pay a cess not exceeding Rs 1,000 during the registration of new vehicles.
On Wednesday, the Assembly passed the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority Bill, 2017, which enables the state government to impose a Road Safety cess.
“Different rates may be levied for different types of vehicles,” according to the Bill, which has been brought in accordance with a Supreme Court order in a case related to preventing road accidents in the country.
The Bill provides for constituting the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority, headed by the Chief Secretary, with powers to order removal of causes of accidents -- arches, banners, tents, pandals, poles, platforms, rostrums, statues, monuments and other similar structures on public roads. The authority can also act on curbing movement of animals or vehicles on public roads to prevent accidents.
After the constitution of the Authority, the Bill makes it mandatory to establish within one year the Karnataka State Road Safety Fund with grants, loans, contributions or advances made by the state government.
The fund would be utilised for the following purposes: Conducting road safety awareness programmes, purchase of equipment connected with road safety, funding of studies on projects, trainings, trauma-care programmes and administrative expenses of the Authority.