IHC Halts NHA’s 50% Toll Surcharge for Non-M-Tag Vehicles

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a suspension on Friday for the National Highway Authority’s (NHA) directive imposing an additional 50% toll surcharge on vehicles lacking an M-Tag or with insufficient M-Tag balance. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir passed this order during a hearing of a petition filed by Advocate Jalal Haider, who appeared in person.

The NHA was restrained from collecting the extra charge until further proceedings. The court also issued notices to the NHA and the Ministry of Communications, directing them to submit their replies by August 3, the date set for the next hearing.

The petitioner argues that the issue arose in December 2025 when he was traveling to Faisalabad and was asked by NHA officials to pay the additional charge. He claims officials failed to provide the relevant notification at the time, which he later obtained online.

The petition contends that this notification violates Section 10 of the National Highway Authority Act, arguing that the law only authorises the NHA to collect toll tax without empowering it to impose penalties or additional surcharges. It further asserts that the surcharge was imposed without legal authority and exceeds the NHA’s statutory powers, violating Articles 4, 18, 24, and 25 of the Constitution.

The petitioner has requested the court to direct the NHA to submit the complete mechanism governing the M-Tag balance system and to order the refund of all additional charges collected under the suspended notification.