Vijayawada: APUCF deplores property tax notices
APUCF convenor Ch Babu Rao addressing the media persons in Vijayawada on Monday
Vijayawada: Taking strong exception to the issuing of notices to collect property tax based on the value of the property, the Andhra Pradesh Urban Citizens Federation (APUCF) criticised the government that it has scant regard for the judiciary.
Addressing the newsmen at Balotsav Bhavan here on Monday, APUCF convenor Ch Babu Rao said that the taxpayers association had already filed a writ petition in the High court and instead of filing counter affidavit in the High Court, the government has chosen to issue notices for the collection of property tax.
He deplored that the government took time from the High Court to file the counter but started issuing the notices to the citizens. Stating that the property tax based on the value of the property is unconstitutional, Babu Rao said that it was not proper to impose burden on the middleclass and the poor relying on the property value.
He said that the government did not reply to the thousands of objection letters submitted by the citizens. They were thrown in dustbins and started issuing notices.
According to the notices issued in Guntur city, the property tax was increased by 200 percent to 400 per cent though the government claims that the enhancement would be only 15 per cent. The government conspired to collect the property tax with arrears, he alleged.
On the other hand, the government is collecting garbage tax from the citizens even without giving notices. The government is hell bent to collect Rs 10,000 crore from citizens by way of property tax and Rs 750 crore by way of garbage tax, he said.
He took exception to the threats by the officials that they would stop collection of garbage if the tax was not paid. In fact, the property tax included water, drainage, lighting and others. However, the officials are collecting taxes on separate heads again.
He exhorted the citizens not to pay enhanced property tax and submit objection letters to the officials once again. "The legal battle and the public agitation would continue side by side," he asserted.