On Wednesday, the International Road Federation (IRF) urged the GST Council and the Finance Ministry to reduce the tax on helmets from 18% to 0% in order to promote their use.
According to the IRF, two-wheeler drivers are the most vulnerable in road accidents. Reducing the GST rate on helmets will help to make helmets more affordable for the general public.
Citing a report, IRF said that about 12 percent of the cases of loss of life in road accidents across the world are from India. This causes an economic loss of about 15.71 to 38.81 billion dollars to the Indian economy.
IRF Honorary President KK Kapila said that about 31.4 percent of the deaths in road accidents are mainly due to head injuries. Kapila said that helmet usage is low in India.
It has been noted that the majority of two-wheeler drivers are economically poor and low-income, and they prefer to purchase cheap, low-quality helmets. Two-wheeler drivers must wear helmets under Section 129 of the Central Motor Vehicles Act of 1988.