The Punjab Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has decided to restore the biometric system for the registration of vehicles and motorcycles and the transfer of old vehicles from January 23 in all 36 districts including the Rawalpindi division.
In this regard, the director-general of the excise and taxation department has issued a formal circular to all officers concerned.
In September 2022, the excise and taxation department suspended the biometric verification following the protests and demands of transporters and motor dealers as people were facing problems in getting old vehicles transferred because the complete record of registration of old cars and motorcycles had not been computerised. Due to the non-availability of the computerised record, old vehicles and motorcycles were returned without verification.
With the introduction of the biometric system for the registration and transfer of vehicles and motorcycles and the suspension of the manual transfer of ownership of old vehicles in April, the excise and taxation department lost millions of rupees daily and it was suspended temperorily.
The biometric system was suspended for over three months from September 10, 2022, which was aimed at making up for losses of millions of rupees daily. After the suspension of the biometric system, the excise department had expected to fetch a revenue of up to Rs15 billion in three months because a large number of owners of old vehicles and motorcycles were waiting for registration.
Sources said that the existing manual system of registration and transfer of vehicles and motorcycles will be done away with from January 23.
The excise and taxation department circular stated that the biometric system is a security system for vehicle ownership and it aims to prevent forgery and sale of stolen vehicles.
The official sources said that from January 23, the biometric system will be implemented permanently while there will be a special exception for “hardship cases” if owners are abroad and women owners are sick or facing disability.
In such a situation, the buyer of the vehicle will present an affidavit of Rs500 on stamp paper.
The buyer will also be required to produce the original file of the vehicle, the original identity card of the owner and the vehicle.
The biometric authentication of the new buyer will be mandatory. The biometric verification of both the buyer and the seller will be required in case of the transfer of vehicles and motorcycles.
The biometric verification can be done at any NADRA facility and the excise department offices.
Ahead of the abolition of the biometric system, instructions had been issued to showroom owners and transporters to complete the transfer of vehicles (without biometric verification) within five days.
Earlier, the excise and taxation department had abruptly implemented the biometric system, due to which the process of registration and transfer of ownership of vehicles had been facing delays. Owing to the introduction of the biometric system, registration and transfer of as many as 177,000 vehicles had been delayed, while the department was also incurring losses in terms of revenue.
Earlier, the excise and taxation department informed the government of the difficulties arising from implementing the biometric system. The department had sent a summary proposing suspension of the biometric system for three months, which has been approved by the provincial minister of taxation, the sources said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2023.
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