Councillors urge the Tiruchi Corporation to roll back 6% increase in property tax

Mayor M. Anbazhagan blames the Centre for the increase saying it had made it mandatory to revise the property tax for the civic body to avail grants under the 16th Finance Commission

The increase in property tax dominated the proceedings of the Tiruchi Corporation Council meeting with the councillors urging the civic body to roll back the same, here on Friday.

Raising the issue at the council meeting, which was held in the presence of Mayor M. Anbazhagan and Commissioner V. Saravanan, K. Sureshkumar of the Communist Party of India (CPI), representing Ward 23, said the Corporation quietly increased the property tax by 6%. It would hit the people from all walks of life. The property tax was revised only in 2022. It was unfair on its part, especially when the civic body increased the charges of many services and licences. Hence, the newly levied property tax should be rolled back.

Intervening in the debate, Mayor M. Anbazhagan said the Centre had put mandatory conditions to revise the property tax to avail grants of the 16^th Finance Commission. The Mayors of Tiruchi, Chennai, and Tiruppur had participated in the Finance Commission meeting in New Delhi. He had strongly voiced the concern of the people against imposing conditions to avail grants.

Mr. Sureshkumar said the DMK government, which was vocal against the Union Government whenever it imposed anti-people programmes, should reject the conditions for availing grants. The people could not be taxed frequently.

DMK councillor Ramadoss, representing Ward 55, said many property tax assessments had been converted into commercial category. There was nothing wrong in the action. But the officials had given notices, thereby giving retrospective effect. The officials were at fault of failing to identify the defaulters. The action was not received well among the tax payers. Hence, the punitive action should be stopped.

Mr. Anbazhagan said the issue had been discussed with the officials. They had been asked not to give retrospective effect to the assessments, which were converted into commercial categories.

Stating that Tiruchi had not witnessed shortage of drinking water during the last summer, the Mayor said a number of steps had been taken to increase water yielding capacity of the drinking water schemes. The Corporation had been a drinking water surplus city. A few more water augmentation schemes had been planned. Tiruchi Corporation would soon become a civic body supplying drinking water round the clock.

When the councillors cutting across party lines pointed out the poor condition of the roads, Mr. Anbazhagan said a proposal had been sent to the State government, seeking ₹40 crore for laying roads in the city. The ongoing rain had damaged many roads. All damaged roads would be re-laid after the northeast monsoon season.

Published - November 29, 2024 08:22 pm IST