MARGAO: Cuncolim Municipal Council’s proposal to effect a steep increase in the house tax rates drew flak from all quarters, with local MLA Rajan Naik joining the citizens in opposing the move.
In fact, the MLA told Herald that he would call the Chief Officer Pandarinath Naik for discussions on the issue to do a rethink on the subject. “It is ridiculous. How can the municipality effect a massive rise in house tax. We can understand that there’s been no revision of house tax, but the civic body cannot increase the rates in one stroke”, Rajan said.
He also demanded to know why the CMC councillors did not object to the rates in the civic body when the same were put up for discussions.
Former CMC Chairperson Ramesh Desai flayed the municipality for the proposed move to hike house tax. “It is surprising that the Cuncolim civic body has drawn up a plan to burden the households with heavy doses of house tax. Will the Chief Officer and the councillors explain to the people of Cuncolim how many houses and rooms leased out on rent to migrants and tenants have been brought under
the tax net?” Desai questioned, adding that the civic body should first survey the thousands of rented rooms in the jurisdiction of the civic body that have mushroomed in and around the Cuncolim Industrial Estate and make the owners pay one month rent to the municipality.
He also advised the Chief Officer not to punish the honest tax payers with additional taxes, but to mop-up revenue from the rented rooms and other sources.
