Vijayawada: Government planning multi-fold rise in property tax

AP Urban Citizens Forums convenor Ch Babu Rao says the Jagan govt is preparing to increase taxes abnormally as per the instructions of Modi govt

Vijayawada: The state government is all set to levy heavy house tax on the citizens throughout the state in the name of reforms, alleged Ch Babu Rao, convener of Federation of AP Urban Citizens Forums.

Chalking out an action plan against the government move, Babu Rao told newsmen at Makineni Basava Punnaiah Vignana Kendram here on Tuesday that the federation would organise protests, agitations and padayatras throughout the state from October 10 to 20 demanding stoppage of the proposal.

At a time, people are in deep trouble with the Covid-19 pandemic, both the Central and the state governments were out to burden people in the name of new taxes, Babu Rao deplored.

Stating that the Jagan administration was ready to oblige whatever be the decisions of Narendra Modi, he said that as part of it, the state government appointed various committees to levy house tax, drinking water tax, drainage, user charges in the urban areas. "Members of all these committees have already visited various states for the implementation in AP following which the state government issued circular No 14034/2020," he said.

About 1.5 crore citizens reside in 120 urban areas in the state who would be burdened with the additional tax on their houses. The house taxes would be increased as per the registration value and building value. The administration had already issued notices in the municipal corporations of Vijayawada and Rajahmundry and Tirupati to collect garbage tax. The house tax would be increased every year as per the value of the property. The people are already burdened with taxes in the name of smart city, Amruth, and now efforts on to burden more in the name of Atma Nirbhar, he said.

Babu Rao said that it was not proper to burden people for the sake of loans extended by the Centre. "If the government is honest it should go for elections for local bodies with the slogan of raise in taxes," he demanded.

Referring to the enhanced tax structure, he said that the owner of a house in 133 sq yds situated in Singh Nagar is paying tax of Rs 1,260. As per the new structure, his house value would be Rs 32.95 lakh and if the tax even at one per cent, would rise to Rs 32,950. So far, there are 33,28,554 assessments in the urban areas in the state who pay Rs 2,961 crore. It would be virtually unimaginable how many times this amount would be multiplied if the new tax structure was implemented, he said.

He appealed to the state government to think once again on the issue before moving forward for its implementation.