50% tax rebate sought for school vans

Members of the Karnataka United School and Light Motor Vehicles Drivers’ Union on Sunday demanded that the state government provide 50% rebate in tax on school vans.

“The government’s job is to create employment opportunities for people, but the policies and decisions are going in the opposite direction,” said K Radhakrishna, state unit president, AITUC, to which the union is affiliated.

He said driving school vans is a means of livelihood for thousands of unemployed youth, but the government was discouraging them by imposing various fees and taxes. “At some places, there is no space to park these vehicles. The local bodies that promised to demarcate space for parking have failed to do anything till now. Officials are not responding to our memorandums,” he said.

He criticised the Narendra Modi-led government for the rising fuel prices as well as the amended motor vehicles bill, which has proposed stringent measures that are “against the interest of the drivers”.

Drivers’ union president P S Shanmugam said they will meet transport minister D C Thammanna soon to place before him a list of demands.