Moving to another state is a big headache for many vehicle owners. This is because one cannot own a car for a long period of time in the new state without re-registering it. This is a big hassle who relocate often. Registering the car in the new state again and paying the road tax has its own sets of challenges. To solve this problem, the government has come up with Bharat (BH) series of number plates which would allow vehicles to move freely across all the states.
How does it work?
The BH series of number plates will be available from the 15th of September and all the applications for BH registration plates will be processed via the designated online portal. The BH numbers will be generated randomly. The BH series number plate will come with black text on white background. This rule does not just apply to private vehicles, but also to defence, central and state government, government PSUs, and private-sector vehicle companies as well. The format of the BH series number plates will be YY BH #### XX. The YY signifies the year of the first registration, BH signifies code for Bharat series, #### will be randomized numeric codes between 0000 and 9999, while XX will be alphabets between AA and ZZ. Private sector employees should have form 60 attached to the vehicle registration document to get the BH registration. Government working officials should attach an official identity card to the vehicle registration document.
During applying for BH registration, the applicant has to pay the road tax for two years depending on the invoice price of the vehicle excluding GST. The MoRTH notification states, “After completion of the 14th year, the motor vehicle tax or road tax shall be levied annually, and it will be half of the amount which was charged earlier for that vehicle.” Vehicles priced below ₹10 lakh will have to 8% tax, while vehicles priced between ₹10-20 lakh will be slapped with 10% tax. The vehicles that are priced above ₹20 lakh will draw a tax of 12%. The diesel-powered vehicles will be charged 2% extra over and above the regular amount. Electric vehicles will be charged 2% less tax.