Residents urge govt to reconsider property tax
Wednesday, 30/01/2013
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Chandigarh : The Kharar Citizens’ Welfare Council has strongly opposed the imposition of property tax in the state and urged the state government to immediately withdraw the levy to give relief to the common man, already burdened with the rising inflation.
In a representation to the Local Government Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat, a copy of which was released to the media here on Tuesday, the Council chairman and former municipal commissioner Pawan Kumar Jain said by imposing tax on even the vacant plots and self-occupied property, the government has virtually made the property owners as its lessees.
“This will desist the people to own property even for self-use and in this manner, the government is punishing the property owners with unnecessary burden,” argued Jain, while questioning the rationale behind mopping up the resources by making the ‘hand-to-mouth’ section of the society to fill the empty coffers of the civic bodies.
The social activist advised the government to exempt from property tax the owners of at least self-occupied property owners, who had spent their lifetime’s earning to somehow build a shelter for themselves.
“There are many ways and means to bring out the civic bodies from the fiscal mess,” opined Jain, while suggesting that besides asking the civic bodies to observe austerity measures, the government should also reconsider the hefty honorariums fixed for the councillors and heads and deputy heads of the civic bodies in the larger interest of the public and state as well. In November, the state government had imposed property tax to generate Rs 350 crore additional revenue for the cash-strapped civic bodies. Property tax was one of the many harsh steps taken by the present SAD-BJP combine government for mopping up extra resources to the tune of Rs 2,400 crore per annum in a bid to meet the shortfall of Rs 4,500 crore in the budgeted expenditure in the current fiscal.
