MMC nets Rs 2.30 cr sanitation tax

JULIO D”SILVA

Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has collected a whopping Rs 2.30 crore by way of sanitation tax from residential as well as commercial establishment as on date and many are yet to pay the tax. The amount collected is for the current financial year as well as the balance of last year.

Last year MMC had collected only Rs 50 as sanitation tax from residential houses and Rs 150 from commercial establishment and the total amount collected last year was Rs. 1,12,76,392. At present, the council has received Rs. 28,06,900 from around 432 traders in the markets. As there are 6234 traders registered with the council, it has to still receive sanitation tax from 5802 traders. 

The council has collected Rs. 1,95,40,770 as sanitation tax from residential houses. While the council has around 56,000 registered houses including flats and apartments on its record, how many of them have not paid the sanitation tax is yet to be ascertained.

Besides, the council has collected Rs. 5,97,600 as sanitation tax from the gaddas and hand-cart owners. There are 152 registered handcarts and 293 registered gaddas with the council. The sanitation tax issue has also evoked very strong reactions from the people, especially those that claim that their premises were closed and thus should not be obliged to pay the fees.

MMC Chairperson Babita Prabhudessai speaking on the issue at the council meeting had said the basic fee has to be applicable for the closed premises because it is the fee they pay to keep surrounding clean.

Besides she advised people whose premises were closed to intimate the council about the status in writing  so that the sanitary tax may be dropped for the next financial year. However, she maintained that they would have to pay the tax this year. 

Former chairperson Savio Coutinho has for quite some time been complaining about the council not taxing the unregistered traders in the town, even though they generate garbage.

“The council is only taxing the honest taxpayers while these unregistered persons are allowed to carry on their business as they are their vote banks,” he said.

Fed up with the inaction on the part of the municipal council, Savio along with four others have now filed a write petition before the Goa Bench of Bombay High Court praying for scrapping of the sanitation tax.