Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant move, the state government has exempted the hike in energy duty on solar power production. During the last state budget, the duty was increased from 1.2 paise to 15 paise, aiming to mobilise about Rs 24 crore.

However, the Opposition highlighted in the assembly that this hike would impose an additional burden on those who have installed rooftop solar panels. The ruling coalition shared similar concerns with the government. As a result, the assembly passed a finance bill on Wednesday, exempting the duty hike.

In a similar vein, the government has also reduced the hike in court fee stamp rates for property-related disputes in family courts and cheque cases. The fee will now be determined as a percentage of the total value of assets, exempting residential buildings.

Additionally, the government has lowered the stamp duty on lease agreements and reduced the tri-monthly road tax rates for large tourist buses. The tax for regular seats has been decreased from Rs 2,250 to Rs 1,500, while the rate for pushback seats has been cut from Rs 3,000 to Rs 2,000. The tax for sleeper berths has been reduced from Rs 4,000 to Rs 3,000.