What should be done to encourage vehicle owners pay the annual road tax?

The Ministry of Finance is urging everyone to pay the road tax for this year by June 30 at the latest. People or organisations who make late payments, or fail to pay, will be fined. Vientiane Times asked around to find out why so many people don’t pay the tax and what might be done to resolve the problem.
 
Mr Lok Duangphachan, Naxaithong district:  I have paid my road tax this year because I don’t want to run into problems later on. I like the new method of payment as it’s easy to pay at the bank or through BCEL One. The new system means that officials have a better idea of who has paid the tax and who hasn’t. But I would like to urge the authorities to take the matter more seriously and find out why so many people get away with not paying this tax. They should fix this problem.

Ms Lom, Xaythany district: I’m one of those people who hasn’t paid road tax for quite a few years, even though I have a car which I often use around town. It’s not only me who doesn’t pay; most other people don’t, especially motorbike owners and also government officials. Three years ago it was very easy to pay the tax because someone in my village took payments and gave us the windscreen stickers and we could buy them at schools as well. I don’t think it should be too hard for the government to enforce payment. The main point is that the law should be brought to bear when it’s discovered that someone hasn’t paid.
 
Ms Phout Thipphavong, Xaysettha district: I have paid my road tax this year and have read that people who pay late will be fined as much as 60 percent of the original amount owed. I urge all vehicle owners to pay the tax so that more money finds its way into the government’s coffers, which can then be used for development purposes. The authorities should do more to force people to pay, especially government officials, as it’s not fair on everyone else.
 
Ms Maly Inthavong, Vangvieng district, Vientiane province: I pay road tax every year although I haven’t done so yet this year. I don’t mind paying it because this money will be used to repair roads. Many people don’t pay because they don’t care and aren’t bothered. But if the law were brought to bear, more drivers would be forced to comply. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
 
Ms Vone Phanthavong, Sisattanak district: I haven’t paid my road tax yet this year because I’m a bit short of money, so I’m glad to see the deadline has been extended until the end of June. It’s difficult to persuade all vehicle owners to pay this tax because the regulations in Laos are often not enforced and seem to be largely ineffective. Sometimes a rule seems be very strict when it’s first introduced but then later on no one takes any notice of it. What often happens is that the police stop people to check their documents, including whether they have paid this tax, but they are quite lax about and don’t always penalise drivers if they haven’t paid.

By Lamphone Pasanthong
(Latest Update April 26, 2022)