Sindh approves auctioning 'inheritable, transferable Premium Number Plates'

After CNIC-based vehicle registration and camera-readable number plates, Sindh government is eyeing generating up to Rs3 billion annual revenue by auctioning inheritable and transferable "Premium Number Plates" for vehicles.

The provincial cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday approved several important decisions, including introducing Premium Number Plates for vehicles, allocating Rs1.5 billion for the procurement of an MRI System for Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) Sukkur, extending Rangers deployment in Karachi division for another six months, and releasing Rs10.189 billion for the payment of retired civil servants' dues.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisers, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, and others.

During the meeting, Sindh Minister of Excise and Taxation Department Sharjeel Memon presented a proposal to the cabinet members to introduce Premium Number Plates for vehicles.

Currently, the department offers three types of number plates, including commercial, non-commercial vehicles and motorcycles.

In the year 2021-22, the department issued a total of 71,645 choice numbers, generating a revenue of Rs44 million from the choice number fee mechanism, according to an official statement.

Memon estimated that if even 10% of the motoring public opt for personalised choice numbers, it could generate a revenue of Rs2 to Rs3 billion per year.

Premium number plates have unique features, such as personalised property that can be inherited, transferable to another vehicle, Computerised National Identity Card-based registration, applicable to any private vehicle, reusable on any vehicle, customisable colour shades for platinum numbers (except prescribed colours), and transferable to another CNIC for a prescribed fee.

There are three categories of premium number plates: Platinum, Gold, and Silver:

• 'Platinum' number plates have a maximum of three characters and a base price of Rs2 million.
• 'Gold' number plates have a maximum of five characters and a base price of Rs1 million
• 'Silver' number plates have a maximum of seven characters and a base price of Rs50,000.

The cabinet approved the proposal, which included auctioning off the choice-based number plates. Additionally, the proposal included bundle offers with up to 30% discounts for families and companies.

In 2020, residents of Sindh had been granted two facilities to register their vehicles with their CNIC number, whereas, the provincial government also launched camera-readable vehicle registration number plates with multiple latest security features.