The provincial cabinet approved a proposal to introduce premium number plates for vehicles. Led by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, the meeting also greenlit several key measures. These included extending Rangers’ policing powers, allocating Rs1.5 billion for an MRI System at SUIT Sukkur, and releasing Rs10.189 billion to pay dues to retired civil servants.
Excise and Taxation Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon presented the number plate proposal. He highlighted that the department currently offers three types of number plates: commercial, non-commercial, and motorcycle. In the fiscal year 2021-22, 71,645 choice numbers were issued, generating Rs44 million from this scheme.
Moreover, Memon projected that if even 10% of vehicle owners opted for personalized choice numbers, it could generate an annual revenue of Rs2 billion to Rs3 billion. Additionally, he outlined the unique features of premium number plates. These include being a personalized property that can be inherited, transferable to another vehicle, and offering CNIC-based registration. They are applicable to any private vehicle, reusable, customizable in colour shades for platinum numbers (except prescribed colours), and transferable to another CNIC for a fee.
Following this, the cabinet approved the proposal, which includes auctioning off the choice-based number plates. There are three categories of premium number plates: Platinum, Gold, and Silver. Platinum plates will have a maximum of three characters and a base price of Rs 2 million. Gold plates will feature up to five characters for Rs1 million, and Silver plates will include up to seven characters for Rs50,000.
Finally, this initiative, modelled after successful examples like Dubai, includes bundle offers that provide up to 30% discounts for families and companies. This strategy aims to attract widespread participation and boost revenue.
