'Lifetime' registration expiry challenged

The Excise and Taxation Department has recently come under fire after a motorcycle owner, who had paid a lifetime token tax, was 'forced' to pay for his registration, which 'expired' after just five years.

The citizen had registered a Honda CD 70 motorcycle in October 2012 after paying Rs1,200 as lifetime token tax. However, the registration was later shown as having expired in October 2017, five years after it was issued.

When the citizen approached the Excise and Taxation Department to have the registration renewed or obtain a smart card reflecting the lifetime registration, he was charged a further Rs1,315 through an Easypaisa transfer.

He was subsequently directed to visit an Easypaisa shop in the market for biometric verification, for which he had to pay another Rs120.

The episode has prompted questions over why biometric verification facilities are not available at the Excise and Taxation office itself, particularly when the department handles vehicle registration, property tax and other public services.

Citizens said visitors were being forced to spend additional time locating Easypaisa shops in different markets and incur separate charges merely to complete routine official procedures.