PANAJI
The State government has decided to reduce the annual verification fees for taxi meters and auto-rickshaw meters; despite the fact that it would result in a loss to the public exchequer.
The decision, taken by CM Pramod Sawant “ also Minister for Legal Metrology “ comes a day before the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls and incidentally on the very day when the Central government also reduced fuel prices.
“The CM being sympathetic to the request Taximeter/Auto Rickshaw decided to reduce the annual verification fees for Taximeter/Auto Rickshaw Meter from Rs 500 to Rs 300 and from Rs 300 to Rs 200 respectively, inspite of considerable loss of revenue to the Government,” reads a statement issued by the Department of Information and Publicity.
The decision will be applicable from April 1, the start of the new financial year. The Department of Legal Metrology had earlier revised the verification fees of both - taxis and auto rickshaws from Rs 100 to Rs 500 and from Rs 100 to Rs 300 respectively from September 2022, after 15 years. Subsequently, the Taxi Owners Associations in the State submitted representations to the CM urging a reduction in the fees.
