Vijayawada: Municipal Minister misleading people on property tax announced by APUCF
Convener of APUCF Ch Babu Rao addressing reporters in Vijayawada on Tuesday
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Urban Citizens Federation (APUCF) on Tuesday announced that the struggle for repealing of the amendment to the municipal laws would go on till the government relents.
The Fedration has conducted Pattana Praja Bheri Yatra throughout the State for eleven days to bring awareness among the urban citizens in the thirteen districts on the effects of the amendment municipal laws to levy house tax basing on the value of the property The Yatra had started at Nellore and concluded at Ongole.
Convener of APUCF Ch Babu Rao along with Y Venkateswara Rao and Taxpayers Association secretary MV Anjaneyulu to reporters that there has been stupendous response from people for the Pattana Praja Bheri Yatra and copies of the GOs and the amended laws were burnt at various towns and cities the State. Taking strong exception to the statement of Municipal Minister Botcha Satyanarayana in Visakhapatnam on Monday, Babu Rao said that it was outright lie that the house tax would be enhanced by only 15 per cent.
He said that the Minister has even misled the Assembly and the Council with the same statements. In fact, the government was readying to impose house tax basing on the value of the property which would be ten to twenty times in phases.
Nowhere in the amended Municipal Act it is mentioned that the house tax would be enhanced by only 15 per cent. Moreover, the government also did not mention how the enhancement would last how many years. He decried the tax on the toilets and underground drainage by the government which encouraged people to construct personal toilets.
It is highly deplorable that the government started business with drinking water by enhancing heavy tax on it. YV Venkateswara Rao, APUCF member, said that it was only two States—AP government and BJP-ruled MP government—expressed readiness to follow the diktats of the Central government to enhance taxes.
The Municipal Minister had admitted in the Council that the taxes were being enhanced as per the directions of the Centre. He demanded immediate repeal of the amendment to the Municipal Acts.
Taxpayers Association secretary MV Anjaneyulu said that the State government is ready to enhance the taxes to avail 0.25 per cent loans from the Centre. He said that the taxpayers would launch agitation against the tax enhancement.