Yes, I/we were charged this tax on more or less every rick/taxi ride. If I even asked for the meter (in English, mind), rather than negotiated a price beforeha

Yes, I/we were charged this tax on more or less every rick/taxi ride. If I even asked for the meter (in English, mind), rather than negotiated a price beforehand, we invariably got a rigged meter anyway! I'll try it in Hindi if I ever get back though!