To check toxic emissions from heavy diesel vehicles, the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) recently directed manufacturers that all vehicles sold from April 1, 2017, should be BS IV compliant.

Vehicle buyers may face a truly prohibitive tax, going up to 22 per cent of the vehicle cost, on diesel cars if the recommendations of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) are implemented. Taking into consideration the health and environmental concerns, complicated by the lucrative lower taxes on the fuel, EPCA has recommended an ‘environment compensation charge’ (ECC) of 20 per cent tax on diesel vehicles under 1,500 cc and 22 per cent on those over 1,500 cc.