‘Citizens’ welfare foremost priority of Govt’
Our cities must witness rapid development
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 25: In a significant statement, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today announced that implementation of the Property Tax in Jammu and Kashmir shall be done in consultation with general public and interests of the common citizens will be protected.
Sinha said this in a brief statement issued on the imposition of Property Tax in Jammu and Kashmir.
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“Implementation (of Property Tax) shall be done in consultation with general public. Common citizens’ interest will be protected,” the statement issued by the Lieutenant Governor said.
The statement comes close on the heels of opposition to Property Tax by almost all political parties and organizations.
Asserting that welfare of the citizens is foremost priority of the Government, Sinha said the Property Tax will ensure financial self-sustainability of cities and improvement of public amenities in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said our cities must witness rapid development and emerge as engines of growth.
For this, he added, financial self-sustainability of cities is necessary.
“Property Tax in Jammu and Kashmir will be one of the lowest in the country and will be used for improving public amenities,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor’s statement that Property Tax shall be implemented in consultation with general public assumed significance as it indicated that the people will be taken into confidence.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on Tuesday ordered the imposition of Property Tax in Municipal areas from April 1, drawing strong protests from people from almost all walks of life. Political parties are demanding an immediate rollback of the order.
As per the Government notification, the tax rates will be five per cent of the taxable annual value for residential properties and six per cent for commercial properties.
The administration has already clarified that Property Tax being imposed in Jammu and Kashmir is one of the lowest in the country and that residential property up to 1000 square feet has been exempted from the purview of tax.
Speaking at a function here yesterday, Sinha criticised those opposing the introduction of Property Tax, saying, “We want every facility but are not ready to pay for anything. People need to rethink this.”
People raising “unnecessary hue and cry” over the imposition of Property Tax despite it being the lowest in the country, he had said.
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