New Delhi: The government is considering cutting the list of vehicles exempted from toll payment on national highways, and vehicles belonging to senior central and state government officials are likely to be taken out of the “exempted category”, TOI has learned.A high-level committee constituted by the Central Government has recommended the Road Transport Ministry to amend the National Highway Fee Rules to “eliminate the exempted category”. Officials said the proposal is under discussion with various stakeholders and there is a possibility of reducing the exempted category of vehicles in a systematic manner.“The proposal to start this exercise is under active consideration with the government authorities. The focus is on ending VIP culture as it does not appeal to common citizens,” said a person aware of the development. The Road Transport Ministry has written to various government institutions and states to motivate their employees to purchase Fastag annual passes instead of asking for discounts. “They can work out a mechanism to reimburse the amount of Fastag annual pass, which is much less than reimbursement of mobile phone bills,” he said. Discussions are also going on with the defense forces,” said an officer.At present, vehicles transporting people working in 25 public offices and accompanying them are exempted from paying toll. Vehicles used for official purposes by central and state armed forces in uniform, including defense personnel, paramilitary forces, executive magistrates, fire departments, inspection of highway projects and emergency purposes (ambulances, funeral vans) are also exempted from paying toll.‘Exempt FASTags’ are issued by IHMCL under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to vehicles legally exempted from paying toll charges. Even if these vehicles do not pay toll, they must still have a valid exempted FASTag.People involved in the discussions said that with the implementation of the Fastag annual pass, people can now buy it online and get reimbursement of the amount from their respective department. With an annual pass of Rs 3,075, a vehicle can cross 200 toll plazas, costing a little more than Rs 15 per plaza, and can be renewed multiple times in a year.