MARGAO
Madgaonkars and Fatordekars may have to brace up for higher doses of taxes, including house tax and garbage tax as the Margao Municipal Council has made provision for higher taxes in the financial year 2023-24.
As Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar presented a Rs five crore surplus budget for the coming financial year, the civic body has proposed to mop up huge additional revenue from households, businessmen, garbage fees and by bringing government buildings under the tax net.
Both Chairperson Damu and Accounts and Administration Officer Abay Rane informed the councillors that higher tax is proposed in the coming year as the government is expected to send a circular containing the tax rates in respect of households, garbage fees etc for implementation in the new financial year.
Former chairperson Ganashyam Shirodkar tried to pick holes in the budget estimates, saying the budget is not realistic with the civic body proposing a quantum jump of revenue receipts when the Municipality has not achieved the proposals in the current year.
Chairperson Damu, however, pointed out that the revenue receipts have been projected in view of the government’s decision to revise the tax rates in the coming financial year. “We have proposed hike in the garbage tax from Rs 600 to Rs 735 in the coming year. This has been done since the government is coming out with a new circular on the head”, he said.
Damu added: “The council has decided to go all out to mop up additional resources with the salary and wage bill of the civic employees and workers crossing the Rs two crore mark. We have no other option than to go for revenue generation”.
Ganashyam questioned the chair and the taxation officials over the absence of revenue from the mobile towers. He pointed out that dozens of mobile towers are dotting across the city, and wondered why the civic body has not benefitted from the towers by way of trade tax.
The MMC chairperson promised to conduct a survey of the mobile towers in the city within a week’s time, saying tax if any will be levied on the companies after seeking opinion of the authorities.
To a query raised by councillor Camilo Barretto, who heads the sanitation committee on stray dogs, the Chairperson replied saying the civic body would soon ink a fresh Memorandum of Understanding with NGOs to run the Animal Birth Control programme. Councillors demanded that the civic body ink the MoU after inviting bids from prospective NGOs.
The Chairperson further informed the Council that funds for garbage management, including door-to-door waste collection and at Sonsodo will be spent from the 14th Finance Commission funds.
