The Jammu and Kashmir government has finally decided to go ahead with its decision of imposing property tax in the Union Territory. Despite massive criticism from all quarters, the LG Manoj Sinha refused to budge. He even lashed out on people who criticized his decision of levying property tax.
“People buy Iphones, consume data while playing video games but are not willing to pay modest tax for the progress and development of the UT,” he said.
He said the tax will be imposed with the consultation of people.
The property tax in Jammu and Kashmir has been imposed for the first time and successive regimes have been playing dilly delaying tactics fearing electoral consequences.
Majority of the people believed that the decision of levying property tax in Jammu and Kashmir is a premature decision since the economy of the Union Territory is in distress.
Since all the political parties opposed the move, the BJP was also pushed on the backfoot and forced to join the opposing camp.
Ravinder Singh Raina, BJP UT president said that the tax was imposed by the civil secretariat and BJP was not consulted for it. He said he is hopeful of reconsidering the decision by the LG administration once they meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and seek his intervention.
Anytime from now Jammu and Kashmir is going for Assembly elections and such taxes can certainly prove detrimental to BJP’s electoral prospectus.
The other political parties also have shown their displeasure over the property tax. Ghulam Nabi Azad urged Manoj Sinha to review its decision and allow the Jammu and Kashmir economy to flourish to an extent that people themselves are willing to pay taxes.
“We have back-to-back crises in Jammu and Kashmir. Not only people feel insecure but economically, the poor are crushed with soaring electricity bills, water charges and now property tax. My aim is to build Jammu and Kashmir as a welfare state where the economy of people grows to an extent, they are willing to pay taxes themselves,” he said.
Jammu Kashmir National Conference, however, said that imposing taxes by the LG administration is not its mandate and the decision should be left to the elected government.
“Only elected governments have the mandate to decide about it. It is not a bureaucratic decision, such a decision is taken by the popular government,” the party said.
PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti termed it as an attempt to disempower the people economically and said that it is one of the ongoing tactics by the Union government to take away whatever the people of Jammu and Kashmir are left with post article 370 abrogation in 2019.
She asked people to disobey the law and refuse to pay the taxes peacefully. “The people of the UT should refuse to pay the taxes and resist it peacefully,” she told the media.
The government on the other hand is justifying the move and said that it will strengthen the Urban local bodies financially.
Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner, Athar Amir said that the poor people have been exempted from the taxes and the rest of the people falling under middle and upper middle-class category have to pay the nominal charges. He even shared the comparative figures of neighbouring cities like Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Ludhiana where the charges are comparatively higher.
“It is progressive tax which is imposed on only the middle and upper middle-class people. The poor are spared and this money will be used in the same area for improving the civic infrastructure and services for people,” he said.
As per the government order, people having houses in a built-up area of 1000 square feet will not be paying any taxes and above this criteria people have to pay nominal charges.
Similarly, Athar Amir said that the people who own small business even at the prime locations have to pay a very nominal fee.
“If you calculate it, no one is paying any amount that he can’t afford. We have kept the fee lowest in the country,” said divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri.
He said when we launched an anti-encroachment drive in Jammu and Kashmir, people asked us why they are not treated like the people of other states where such colonies are legalized.
“Every state and UT of India is paying property tax, if you want to be treated with other states and UT, you should also pay taxes. Why do you want here to be exempted and in other cases treated equal,” he said.
The government has also opened a link on its social media handles where people can calculate taxes on their properties. It has also announced a 10 per c ent rebate to all those who pay tax in advance.
Post Article 370 abrogation, the Union government has extended all central laws to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to Article 370 abrogation, the laws only enacted or approved by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly were valid and any central law to be implemented in the erstwhile state had to go through rigorous legislative process.
