Call for withdrawal of property tax increase

Vijayawada: A round table meeting, jointly organised by the AP Urban Citizens Federation and the Taxpayers Association on Tuesday, demanded the NDA government to immediately halt the enhancement of property taxes and other taxes, as well as abolish the 44/2020 Act, which seeks to calculate property tax based on its capital value. The meeting was presided over by V Sambi Reddy, president of the Taxpayers Association.

Addressing the meeting, AP Urban Citizens Federation convener Ch Babu Rao recalled that the TDP assured citizens during the elections that it would review the property tax increase, but they have remained silent on the issue since then.

He said that urban bodies are imposing a 24 per cent penalty on late property tax payments, which he described as grossly unjust.

Additionally, he said that water tax is being increased by 7 per cent, linked to the property tax. Babu Rao demanded an end to the annual 7 per cent increase in water charges and drainage taxes, emphasising that property tax should not be regarded as a revenue source for local bodies. He appealed to the state government to allocate 40 per cent of funds from the state budget to local bodies.

Secretary of the Taxpayers Association MV Anjaneyulu urged the state government to abolish the 44/2020 enactment immediately.

If immediate abolition is not feasible, he suggested that the government could issue an ordinance to that effect.

Leaders of various Colony Associations, including Venkateswara Rao, Anne Bhaskara Rao, V Rama Rao, and Ch Venkateswarlu from Lotus Landmark, along with JVR Foundation chief JV Reddy, Bank Employees Federation leaders R Ajay Kumar, Bank Officers Pensioners leader KNV Prasad, and others participated in the meeting.

The meeting decided to send letters outlining their demands to the Chief Minister and the Municipal Minister.