Cars for differently-able people to get cheaper

The Union Finance Ministry has recently released a notification which mentions that the excise duty on cars driven by differently-abled people has been reduced to 8%. Prior to this change, such cars used to attract an excise duty of 16 and 24%, depending on the type of vehicle. This excise duty cut will thus make cars that are dedicatedly designed to be driven by differently-abled people more affordable.

In order to avail the excise duty benefits, it will be necessary to get a certificate from a deputy secretary or a director in the Ministry of Industry, which certifies that the particular vehicle is fit to be used by the differently-abled person. To maintain transparency in the process, the Department of Industry has laid out a set of guidelines for issuing the aforementioned certificates. The entire process is expected to take around 4 weeks.

These guidelines require the applicant to submit a set of documents to the certifying authorities. These required documents include a medical certificate from the medical officer of a government hospital and a certificate from the manufacturer of the car to be registered that mentions that the vehicle has been booked with them and is equipped with special control devices or gadgets to help the differently-able person drive it.

People opting for the excise duty cuts will be eligible only if they haven't availed such concession in the last 5 years. Additionally, the applicant will not be able to dispose the car for 5 years, after taking the excise duty concession.

Source: ET Auto

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