MARGAO
For, the Cuncolim Chief Officer Shankar Gaonkar and the elected body have resolved to reassess the old and new houses as per the plinth area, implying that tax will henceforth be levied not only taking into account the carpet area of the house, but also the walls of the house.
This is perhaps the first time the civic body is making a bold attempt to bring the 7,000-odd households in the town under the house tax structure based on the plinth area. The decision implies that houses, both old and
new, will have to cough up huge money in terms of house tax to the civic body when the people were used to paying a fixed sum of tax since the inception of the Municipality.
Municipal officials in the know informed that households in the Cuncolim Municipal area were paying the house tax as per fixed amount imposed by the civic body, with provision to hike the amount after a number of years. Residents recalled that people of Cuncolim had initially opposed the upgradation of the panchayat area into a Municipal body on grounds that a Municipal body will only attract heavy doses of taxation. The then government in power, however, had allayed the apprehension by reassuring the citizens that they will be required to pay the taxes, including the house tax, the bare minimum. This promise, sources said was honoured by successive Councils since 1987, with citizens required to pay the bare minimum amount fixed by the civic body.
Chief Officer Shankar Gaonkar, however, appears defiant. "Calculating tax based on the plinth area is as per the law. This is not something new when the Municipal rules speaks about calculating the house tax on the plinth area," Gaonkar said.
He pointed out that the teams constituted for reassessment of the houses are given a brief only to take measurement of the houses as per the plinth area, adding "accordingly, the house tax will be calculated as per the rules in force".
When his attention was drawn to the sentiments raised by the people that calculating the house as per the plinth area may increase the tax manifold, the Chief Officer said he is helpless, saying that the decision to reassess the house tax is based on the resolution adopted by the Cuncolim civic body.
"The decision to assess the houses for the house tax is not my decision. I know that revising the house tax is mandated by law. But, the Cuncolim Council had adopted an unanimous resolution giving the administration the nod to carry out the house tax reassessment," he said.
Municipal officials in the know informed that households in the Cuncolim Municipal area were paying the house tax as per fixed amount imposed by the civic body, with provision to hike the amount after a number of years. Residents recalled that people of Cuncolim had initially opposed the upgradation of the panchayat area into a Municipal body on grounds that a Municipal body will only attract heavy doses of taxation. The then government in power, however, had allayed the apprehension by reassuring the citizens that they will be required to pay the taxes, including the house tax, the bare minimum. This promise, sources said was honoured by successive Councils since 1987, with citizens required to pay the bare minimum amount fixed by the civic body.
Chief Officer Shankar Gaonkar, however, appears defiant. "Calculating tax based on the plinth area is as per the law. This is not something new when the Municipal rules speaks about calculating the house tax on the plinth area," Gaonkar said.
He pointed out that the teams constituted for reassessment of the houses are given a brief only to take measurement of the houses as per the plinth area, adding "accordingly, the house tax will be calculated as per the rules in force".
When his attention was drawn to the sentiments raised by the people that calculating the house as per the plinth area may increase the tax manifold, the Chief Officer said he is helpless, saying that the decision to reassess the house tax is based on the resolution adopted by the Cuncolim civic body.
"The decision to assess the houses for the house tax is not my decision. I know that revising the house tax is mandated by law. But, the Cuncolim Council had adopted an unanimous resolution giving the administration the nod to carry out the house tax reassessment," he said.
