Ongole: Property tax Oppose taxes or face public ire, Left parties tell corporators
Leaders of Left parties addressing the media in Ongole on Sunday
Ongole: The leaders of the Left parties in Ongole demanded that the municipal corporators decide whether they are on the public side or on the government side to increase the property tax, water tax and waste taxes.
The CPI, CPM, CPI-ML, CPI-ML New Democracy leaders conducted a joint press meet here on Sunday and declared that they are going to protest in front of the Municipal Corporation office on June 30. The same day, the Council will discuss the agenda on the increase of taxes.
The CPM East Prakasam leader GV Kondareddy said that the corporation has prepared to take anti-public decisions and put the increase of taxes on the agenda for the council meeting on June 30. Before the elections, the YSRCP had promised to not increase the taxes, but after winning the election the council is preparing to put a burden of Rs 20 crore per year on the public. He said that the council has no morality to increase the taxes, without completing any development works in the town. He demanded the corporators to oppose the proposal to increase the taxes or get ready to face the ire of the public.
The CPM town secretary G Ramesh asked the public to understand the intentions of the council to increase the taxes in its very first meeting. He said that the government is trying to impose the tax burden on the people who are already being fleeced in the name of hikes in the price of fuel and groceries and asked the public to come forward to protest against them.
The CPI town secretary SD Sardar demanded that the government withdraw the GO Nos 196, 197 and 198 brought to increase taxes. He said that the poor people cannot afford to stay in their homes, if the government increase taxes by 15 per cent every year. He also condemned the procedure followed to impose a waste tax and warned that the increase of taxes is going to affect everyone.
The CPI-ML leader K Hanumantha Rao opined that while the Union government is trying to force the farmers to lose their lands with the new farm laws, the State government is forcing the public to leave their houses with the increase of taxes.