Finance Ministry Orders Vehicle Owners to Pay Road Tax Before September

Source: Vientiane Times

Individuals, legal entities and organisations that own or use any kind of vehicle must pay the road tax for 2023 before September, the Ministry of Finance has instructed.

If vehicle owners fail to pay the tax by this time, they will be fined amounts as spelled out in Article 4 of Order No. 3455, issued by the ministry in October 2017.
The Ministry of Finance has issued a new notice reminding vehicle owners of the need to pay road tax on time to avoid being fined, as this is an important source of revenue for the state budget and is paid into the Road Fund to finance repairs.

The notice said the owners of vehicles purchased at second-hand dealerships are also responsible for the payment of road tax.

When vehicles are bought and sold under the installment system but no transfer of ownership has taken place, the responsibility for road tax lies with the user of the vehicle.

Any individual, legal entity or organisation that owns or uses a vehicle and fails to pay the 2023 road tax by the specified date will be fined, in addition to being required to pay the requisite amount of tax as stated in the Ordinance on Fees.

Road tax can be paid through a bank using the bank’s app, or in cash through the National Treasury.
Individuals, legal entities and organisations that purchase a new vehicle between October and December 2023 will not have to pay road tax on that vehicle until 2024.

The Ministry of Finance has requested traffic police to check vehicles for the payment of road tax and enforce measures against drivers who cannot provide proof of payment.

The Taxation Department has also issued detailed instructions on road tax collection, including ways to ensure that all vehicle owners pay the tax and do not evade their responsibilities as road users.

Provincial and district authorities have been instructed to coordinate with the relevant parties to ensure full collection of road tax in 2023 and that all of the money paid reaches the state budget.

The Ministry of Finance also said that vehicle owners who have not paid road tax will not be permitted to cross the border into other countries, under a new measure that has been introduced to force people to pay the annual tax.