Best is one-time toll-tax at time of purchase of new vehicles like system exists for one-time road-tax
It refers to Union Ministry for Highways working on new toll-policy where toll-tax will have to be paid only for stretch of road used rather than for complete road-stretch between two toll-plazas. Any such new policy will require lot of investment on existing highways tolling system under Pay-As-You-Use plan, even though new highways like Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway around Delhi are equipped with new system.
But best is to replace toll-system by charging one-time toll-tax on purchase of new vehicles like system exists for charging one-time road-tax on purchase of new vehicles. It may be recalled that all concerned including vehicle-users and transport-authorities welcomed such system of one-time payment of road-tax avoiding cumbersome procedure of paying and collecting road-tax.
Amount collected through one-time toll-tax on purchase of new vehicles can then be utilised for developing and maintaining highways without necessitating toll-plazas as big hurdles causing queues at toll-plazas. One-time toll-tax can be fixed according to ex-showroom price of new vehicles so that people having costly cars may have to contribute more than those purchasing economy cars. People paying extra clubbed with cost of new vehicle will never mind because of facility of toll-free movement in future.
SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL