It is quite difficult to understand why a minister with considerable experience and an MLA from the same political party cannot put their heads together to resolve the sopo tax issue raging in the Ponda market? Or maybe, it isn’t difficult to understand. The problem is an old one, but not complicated enough for political leaders to untangle. On Monday, two groups of vendors had a verbal clash over the issue of rates which everyone would like to drive down. One group has backed the Ponda Municipal Council rates of Rs 12 for vendors sitting inside the shed and Rs 6 for those on the outside. The other wants a common rate of Rs 5 for everyone. Ponda MLA Lavu Mamledar was present, but the verbal clash happened after he left. Some months back, the vendors had a problem with the contractor who was authorised to collect sopo tax. After the contract came to an end it was not renewed and the municipality has started collecting the tax.
If the rate was at the heart of the problem, then it would have been easier to resolve. Unfortunately it is not. The present rate was decided when Manohar Parrikar was the chief minister and was acceptable to the vendors because it was cut by nearly Rs 8 and Rs 4 respectively for those sitting inside and outside. If vendors had agreed to pay the rate then,why are they objecting to it now? Also why is the PWD Minister reluctant to intervene to resolve the issue? The tax of Rs 12 and Rs 6 per day is reasonable considering the high rates at which goods in the market are sold. Of course, it is incumbent on the municipality to ascertain if business at the market has gone down due to the ban on mining or any other factor. The sopo tax rate cannot be fixed in isolation and must be linked to the quantum of business. Right now it is nobody’s case that rates need to be slashed as business is bad.
It appears that the real reason for the impasse at the Ponda market is city politics. The present chairperson is not aligned with the minister and it appears that the sopo tax issue will continue as long as she is at the helm of affairs. Efforts to dislodge her have proved futile and the desperation at having failed is reflected in market politics. The only development in the issue is a split in the vendor association which benefits no one and certainly not the vendors as the bickering continues. Sopo tax has not been paid for the last three months and this situation cannot continue indefinitely. At one stage, the municipality was collecting Rs 68 lakh as sopo tax, which is good revenue. The only grouse that the vendors could possibly have is that, in spite of paying tax, facilities at the market have not changed. If the issue has remained on the boil, the vendors have themselves to blame. They have played into the hands of political leaders and today they are a divided lot. Instead of becoming pawns vendors must resolve this issue themselves. Bargain for a good rate and then go ahead instead of bickering for years on end.
