NHA postpones increase in toll tax on highways in Pakistan
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) after talks with the transporters has postponed the proposed increase in toll tax on vehicles plying on national highways network till July-1, 2005.

Speaking at a press conference here Wednesday, Chairman NHA, Maj. Gen. Farrukh Javed said that he himself would participate in the talks on toll tax with the transporters and hoped that the issue would be resolved amicably. He said the authority was spending Rs 12 billion on maintenance and rehabilitation of national highway network in the country and has received Rs seven billion in return.

He said the increase in toll tax on light and heavy vehicles plying on the highways has been proposed from July 1, 2005 to meet the expenditures incurred on maintenance and rehabilitation of the national highways network.

Maj. Gen. Farrukh Javed said the government provided Rs 900 million to the NHA while the rest of the amount are borne by the Authority from its own resources.

The chairman NHA said the authority was making efforts to maintain and rehabilitate 9200 kilometre long highways and make them according to the world standard. He said the NHA was suffering Rs 43 billion losses every year due to bad highways network in the country, adding fifty per cent of the losses were borne by the Government while the rest by the associated parties of the authority.

Proposed Increase

In the proposed increase in toll tax, Gen. Farrukh Javed said the toll tax on cars has been maintained at the old rate of Rs 10 while toll tax for mini buses, wagons and costers that was Rs 15 to 25 has been fixed at Rs 20.

Similarly, the toll tax of double axle trucks has been increased from Rs 25-30 to Rs 50, three axle trucks has been increased from Rs 40 to Rs 50 while increase in toll tax of altercated vehicle has been proposed at Rs 100.

He said the new rates were approved by the cabinet in 1999 but it were not implemented. To a question, he said, the authority has started talks with the respective parties and they would be taken into confidence. He said the talks would continue till June-30, 2005.●