MARGAO
The scheduled protest of the citizens at the Margao Municipal Council square on Saturday under the banner of Shadow Council for Margao turned into a celebration with the government withdrawing the controversial ordinance for the amendment of Goa Municipalities Act.
As citizens gathered near the Margao Municipal Council building upon the call for a protest, SCM Convenor Savio Coutinho appreciated the government for the decision to withdraw the ordinance and hoped that the amendments which have now been put before the assembly in the form of a bill, would be studied thoroughly by the legislators and be scrapped forever.
“The new form of taxation system which involves components like capital value will be a huge burden on the taxpayers, as such should be rejected outright,” Coutinho stated. He further clarified that the sole reason for the SCM to step in and have awareness-cum-signature campaigns was because none of the leaders found it necessary to raise the house tax issue in the ordinance.
“From the very first day, all our leaders applied their entire energy to the issue related to section 88, as if the house tax issue was not a part of the amendments at all,” Coutinho lamented.
He thanked his team members and all the office bearers of various housing societies for giving the SCM the opportunity to explain to the residents the implications of the ordinance.
Adv Seoula Vas stated that the amendments which are now in the form of a Bill would remain as a sword dangling over the heads of the taxpayers and have called for the immediate rejection of the same in the House.
“All the market traders stood unitedly and forced the government to withdraw the controversial amendment. We request the government to scrap the Bill and not to take any decision without taking the stakeholders into confidence”, he said, and thanked the Governor for protecting the livelihood of the small traders.
