PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday stopped the collection of additional toll tax from non-M-Tag vehicles on the M-1 Motorway and has sought the toll tax policy from the National Highways Authority (NHA).
A division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Naeem Anwar and Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel heard three petitions regarding the M1 Motorway toll tax and the additional charges imposed on M-Tag users.
During the hearing, the NHA Director Revenue and the petitioners’ lawyers Asif Ali Shah, Akbar Ali, Azimdad, Marjan Ali, Saeed Khan Akhunzada and Syed Bilal Bacha appeared before the court.
The lawyers informed the court that the authorities had increased the toll tax in 2024 and had done so repeatedly. The director of revenue told the court that the increase was made according to the 2024 policy.
The lawyers argued that under the policy toll tax can be increased only after three years and vehicles travelling less than thirty five kilometres were exempted. They said the distance to Charsadda was 20 kilometres, yet a toll of Rs70 was being charged.
The court was told that the repeated increase in toll tax was against the constitutional right to freedom of movement.Justice Naeem Anwar remarked that under the policy toll cannot be increased four times in a year and asked under what formula the increase had been made.
The director of revenue replied that the last increase was made in 2018 and not in 2021 due to the coronavirus situation. He said inflation was another reason for the revision.The petitioners’ lawyers argued that the increase violated the toll tax policy and prayed the court to suspend the tax until a final decision.The court sought replies from all parties, adjourned the hearing until December 10, and barred NHA from collecting additional charges from M-Tag vehicles.
