Vijayawada: APUCF launches protest against high civic taxes

Vijayawada: Taking strong exception to the high taxes on garbage collection and hiked property tax and increased water charges by civic bodies, Andhra Pradesh Urban Citizens Federation (APUCF) launched demonstrations here on Sunday.

Addressing the protestors, APUCF's State convenor Ch Babu Rao slammed the Central and State governments for focusing on increasing taxes on people rather than concentrating on containing coronavirus.

While the State government succumbed to the pressure from the Centre to impose taxes, the urban local bodies have hardly any say against the State government orders on taxation, he said.

The YSRCP people's representatives are virtually giving great trouble to the people who elected them with huge majority in the urban local bodies, he rued.

Expressing concern over the poor works undertaken for the development of the towns and cities, he said that the roads are in dilapidated condition and drainages are not properly maintained to cope with the rainy season.

He ridiculed the government for pressing the police force into action in the fear of protest demonstrations by people's organisations. "The ruling party stooped to the level of keeping the activists under house arrests," he said.

Babu Rao said that demonstrations would continue throughout the State for three days and they won't stop till the government relents on the taxation. CITU leader B Nageswara Rao and other leaders also participated in the protest.