I Have Four Vehicles Registered in My Name

And two of the current owners of my vehicles are driving me nuts. One's response is lukewarm to my incessant communication with him, while the other is up my a$$ trying to threaten me. All these transpired after I tried to update the documents of my third car and found out some unpaid fines from years ago. The fines were on a vehicle registered under my name but had long changed ownership and been deemed off-road. 

Currently, RSTA is trying to revive a rule that was already in place years ago but not enforced earlier nor implemented by the vehicle owners till now. And it is creating a full online fury in social media, with strong opposing views. The opinions differ along the lines of the word 'tax' that RSTA uses and the timing of the enforcement.

Basically, it says that sellers have to shell out a tax to the government while transferring the ownership during the sale. 

My nephew rides with me on my Yamaha Fazer.

The Vehicles

As I already mentioned, I have four vehicles registered in my name, and two ought to have their ownership already changed and documents updated by now it hasn't happened yet.

My first vehicle was a motorcycle, which I bought during my bachelor years. I had to sell it after a friend's friend showed interest in buying it and even paid upfront without even laying an eye on the bike. Someone bought it off him later on, and now it seems that that bike is off-road. 

The second car I owned was the one which I bought when I was with my ex-wife. This car got separated from me during our divorce settlement procedure but was earlier used by my ex-in law. None the less I was given some amount in lieu of this car during my Creta purchase. A sale deed was hastily written which I was asked to sign during that divorce settlement.

Incidentally, a few months ago, I came to be aware that the car is still registered under my name, and the current driver is looking to change it.

The third car was the one I bought with my vehicle quota, which is currently being used by my bro-in-law after I had to leave for studies. And he did pay me a substantial amount of money to buy it, so technically the car belongs to him. But for all official purposes, the vehicle is still under my name (I don't mind that).

The fourth vehicle on my list is the one which I am currently driving. It is an old workhorse Toyota, pre-loved, gets me to work and back, and occasionally even gets me to getaways. It was a tad difficult to beat the traffic with it at first, being a new place and all. This car also made The Great Ocean Road trip which I took last month.

Creta by the toad (pun unintended).

The Dilemma

Now that RSTA is talking a lot about the necessity of transferring ownership of vehicles during sales, I want to share what transpired. Because there are some unpaid fines in my name, I can no longer access any communication through RSTA's online portal. I can not change ownership, nor renew vehicle documents or licenses. That too, after not being sent any reminders by RSTA for failure to pay the fees and fines. In my email correspondences with RSTA, I have been asked to report to the nearest RSTA office to cancel the said vehicle and pay my fines.

I could find the last owner of the troublesome motorcycle in order to ask him to renew the documents or pay the fines. But as mentioned, his response was lukewarm. So what do I do? I do what everyone in Bhutan does.

The Solution

In Bhutan, who you know matters more than ever. That's why we try to find someone who knows someone, just to introduce, or speak on our behalf. Such is more like vouching for us. In my case, I ask my elder sister for help and she immediately makes a call, coercing a positive response from the person concerned.

My Takeaway

RSTA has been caught sleeping for years, and upon waking up, decided to enforce the already existing 'RSTA Act 1999'. News articles by Kuensel and BBS have captured the statements of the RSTA Director who doesn't mince words. What is needed is a viable solution that will not hurt the purse strings of the average Bhutanese during the COVID19 pandemic. 

My present workhorse, pre-loved and sturdy.