Sindh to auction premium number plates on THIS date; Details inside

Islamabad: The Sindh Excise Department will hold its first premium number plate auction on June 29, 2024 at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi.

As per the details, the auction will have three special categories of number plates: Platinum, Gold, and Silver, offering unique features, allowing up to three characters in the Platinum category starting at Rs. 2 million gold category includes up to five letters at a base price of Rs. 1 million, while the Silver category allows up to seven characters, starting with Rs. 50,000

Participants interested in obtaining these premium plates must register in advance. The auction is expected to attract significant interest from automobile manufacturers, who are also set to sponsor the event. This sponsorship ensures that the provincial government will not bear the costs of the auction.

Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Memon asserted that these number plates are highly customizable and offer many benefits. They can be personalized, transferred to another vehicle, and inherited. Additionally, they are linked to the owner’s CNIC, making them usable with multiple cars.

The premium number plates were recently approved by the Sindh Cabinet. In the financial year 2021-22, the existing special number plate system earned Rs. 44 million from 71,645 plates.

The new premium plates are expected to increase this revenue significantly. Memon estimated that if just 10 percent of the motoring public opts for these personalized plates, it can earn Rs. 2-3 billion annually.

The auction also includes bundles for families and companies with discounts of up to 30%. It mirrors Dubai and other countries, aiming to boost the province’s revenue.

Apart from the auction, Memon highlighted the importance of meeting other tax targets and emphasized the online payment system to streamline the tax collection process. He also issued disciplinary instructions to excise department employees who failed to meet their performance targets.