Vijayawada Municipal Corporation gives nod for new property tax system in Vijayawada amid protest

Vijayawada: Amidst protests from the Opposition, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation passed a resolution for the implementation of the GO 198, thus paving the way for levying property tax based on the property value in Vijayawada in the special council meeting held on Wednesday.

Though there had been protests from all quarters, the State government was bent upon collecting the property tax based on the property value and issued the GO 198. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation is the first urban local body to pass the resolution on levying property tax basing on property values. Till now, the property tax is collected based on rental values.

Presiding over the council meeting, Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi said each corporator would be given only three minutes time to express his/her opinion on the GO 198. Telugu Desam Party corporators Nelibandla Balaswamy, Devineni Aparna, Mummaneni Prasad, Kesineni Swetha, Jasti Saimbasiva Rao and others spoke against the GO 198. They said that levying the property tax based on the value of the property will be burdensome to the denizens. They said it was not an appropriate time to burden the people who were already facing problems due to Covid. They demanded the ruling YSRCP to withdraw the resolution. CPM corporator B Satyababu came to the VMC on the bicycle protesting against the GO 198. He strongly opposed the resolution and staged a protest till evening on the premises of the VMC office opposing passage of the resolution by the ruling YSRCP. Amidst the uproar from the Opposition parties, the VMC passed a resolution paving the way to put an end to the collection of property tax based on rental value. Now, the VMC can collect the property tax based on the property value. The YSRCP, which has an absolute majority in the council easily passed the resolution. On the other hand, the CPM and the CPI staged protested near the VMC. CPM senior leader Ch Baburao, CPI city secretary Donepudi Sankar, CPM city secretary Donepudi Kasinath, CPI leader Koteswara Rao and others were arrested and shifted to Krishna Lanka and other police stations and were later released. Several hundred police personnel were posted near the VMC office since morning in view of an stormy council meeting.