MAPUSA
With the inflation rate already high the decision to hike various taxes and fees will deal another blow to the common man, said residents of Mapusa and urged the city-fathers to exercise caution while deciding to go ahead with the plan.
“The councillors should unanimously reject the proposal of increasing the taxes as it will cause immense hardship to middle-class and poor people. Any good government should ensure that the common man should not be burdened. Businesses which suffered reverses during the Covid pandemic are yet to pick up. Inflation is at the highest. This move is completely ill-timed,” said Gajanan Lotlikar, a resident of Duler, Mapusa.
Nimisha Naik, a resident of Altinho, Mapusa felt that increasing taxes was a way to harass the people of Mapusa and urged the civic body to focus on other ways to generate revenue.
“It’s not a good decision at all. The municipality should focus on collecting various pending dues which will run in crores. The council should also trim its excess staff,” Naik said.
Several citizens also questioned the services provided by the municipality which according to them was very poor.
“While the door-to-door garbage collection is irregular, waste at open places is not lifted for days together. Parking is a huge problem while some of the internal roads are in a pitiable condition. Why should we pay more taxes for such poor service,” cried out Reshma Kandolkar, a working woman from Khorlim, Mapusa.
According to John Lobo, a resident of Camarkhazan, Mapusa, there has been no development worth its salt in Mapusa for the last several years and slammed the move to increase taxes and even introduce a dog tax.
“Mapusa is going from bad to worse. The sewerage project is pending for the last nine years. Villages in Goa have managed to set up Ravindra Bhavans while Mapusa does not even have a small theatre. Where is the development? With the petrol and gas price hike the inflation has hit the roof and the municipality proposal to hike the taxes will only add to our woes,” Lobo said.
'Hike in tax irrational, unjustified'
MAPUSA:
Slamming the BJP-ruled Mapusa Municipal Council for its plan to increase tax and fees on various civic services, the Congress on Sunday said that the hike in tax was irrational and unjustified even as the civic body was found to be wanting in providing proper service to the residents of Mapusa.
Congress also said that there were several other ways to mop up resources instead of burdening honest taxpayers by increasing taxes.
“This government is insensitive. They are not bothered about the people. We are not saying the municipality does not require revenue. But why should we always increase the tax to generate revenue? There are other ways to increase revenue. Why don’t the officers find other ways to generate revenue?” asked Shashank Narvekar, President of Mapusa Congress Block.
Narvekar along with North Goa District Congress President Virendra Shirodkar and spokesman Sanjay Barde was addressing the media in the party office in Mapusa.
Continuing, Narvekar said the civic body has put up a proposal to increase various taxes by 200, 300 and in some cases even 400 per cent but there is no clarity on what service the municipality was providing the public.
