Punjab: New rules for transferring vehicles: ‘Agent mafia’ minting higher commissions

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Agents charging Rs 2,800 to Rs 7,500 compared to previous commission of Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000
* Agent says some of his clients are out of country, cannot come to E&T office

By Nauman Tasleem

LAHORE: The new rules of the Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department are ‘helping’ the agent mafia extract exorbitant ‘commissions’ from the buyers and sellers of vehicles, a survey conducted by Daily Times found on Sunday.

The E&T Department has banned the transfer of vehicles without the presence of both parties – buyer and seller. On the one hand, the rules are still not complied with, and vehicles are transferred without the presence of both parties. On the other, the number of vehicles’ ownership transferred has decreased after the introduction of the new rules.

Commission: Earlier, the agents used to charge Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 for helping in the transfer of ownership of a vehicle. The rates have increased sharply, however. The agents now charge between Rs 2,800 and Rs 7,500, depending on the case and situation. The number of vehicles whose ownership is transferred has also decreased drastically. An official of the department, seeking anonymity, said earlier there used to be 80 to 120 cars transferred each day. However, after the introduction of the new rules, this number has decreased to 15-25 cars each day.

Omar Sharif, an agent, said people were willing to pay the extra amount because it was also for their own convenience. He alleged that the officials were exploiting the condition requiring the presence of both the buyer and the seller.

Out of country: “I am dealing with a number of cases in which the seller is out of country and there is no way that he can visit the office,” he said. The citizens visiting the office for the transfer of vehicles told Daily Times they faced various problems and hurdles, and therefore contacted the agents for transferring the vehicles in their names. Arshad Farooq, a citizen selling his family car, said the government should consider all possible implications before making its strategy.

E&T Motor Registration Branch Director Rizwan Ahmed Shirwani said some 3,000 new vehicles had been registered after the introduction of the new rules. He did not deny that ‘corruption’ had increased due to the new rules. He said the E&T Department was stern in taking action against the corrupt officials and had already transferred two employees. He said the department had sent a summary to the chief minister after taking the feedback of the people on the new rules. “If the summary is approved, the transfer criteria will become easier, and people will be able to get their vehicles transferred without being present in the office,” Shirwani said. He said it was the duty of the public to discourage the ‘agent mafia’.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_1