Shimla: Get ready to pay ‘Green Tax’ from April 1

From April 1, 2020, you will have to spend more to plan a trip to Shimla. As per the latest reports, all tourists’ and outstation vehicles will have to pay extra tax to enter Shimla. The Shimla Municipal Corporation has now levied a Green Tax on vehicles that will be entering the city from April 1, 2020, onwards.

This means travellers from Parwanoo to Shimla will now have to pay several taxes, which will include the existing entry tax, and toll charges that they will have to pay at a plaza coming up at Sanwara, Dharampur.
Although the entry tax has been in place for the past two decades, the private company that had been engaged in building the Parwanoo-Solan highway will collect the toll at a plaza from April 1, 2020. Reportedly, since 80 per cent of the highway task has been completed, they are eligible to collect toll as per the norms.
Regarding the entry tax, a senior official from the Excise and Taxation Department stated that the vehicles that are registered in Himachal, will be exempt from paying the entry tax; however, all highway users will be required to pay the toll. Records state that the administration collects around INR 95 crores approximately at inter-state barriers.
The tax has been announced in a move to decrease air pollution in Shimla; the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the local urban body to charge Green Tax from tourists. The said rule was in place a few years ago, but was later discontinued.