Property tax lowered due to Cong campaign: Bajwa
Saturday, 06/04/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130406/punjab.htm#5
Chandigarh : Punjab Pradesh Congress President Partap Singh Bajwa today said the SAD-BJP government was forced to lower property tax substantially following an aggressive campaign by the Congress.
Congratulating the Punjabis for the victory, Bajwa said instead of bringing the facts to the attention of the people, the government had tried to divert their attention by misquoting the factual position and the JNURM guidelines.
He said it was actually under the garb of these guidelines that the SAD-BJP alliance was planning to impose heavy property tax to fill their empty coffers.
Bajwa said under the JNURM guidelines, the centre had directed that tax should be imposed on properties in the local bodies.
He said house tax was already imposed on Punjab residents and the government just needed to rename house tax as property tax and rationalise it.
The PCC president said his stand that the Centre had not set any quantum for levying property tax had been vindicated.
He said rather than taxing the people, the government should first release the outstanding funds to the municipalities for the last six years.
He said if the local bodies had got these funds, their financial health would have been substantially better and they would have been able to provide basic civic services.
