MMC not accepting taxes as garbage fee set to skyrocket

Well, citizens who had approached the MMC payment counter to pay the house tax and garbage fees on Monday had to return home without making the payments.

Reason? The MMC has decided to effect a hike in the garbage fees in the new financial year from Rs 600 to Rs 900, a 50 per cent hike.

Since the MMC accepts the house tax and the garbage fees together, it has decided to postpone acceptance of the payments till the system is updated to reflect the hike in the garbage fees.

MMC Chief Officer Manuel Barretto informed that since the council has decided to go by the government notification to effect a hike in the garbage fees, the same has to reflect in the system.

“The NIC has been requested to update the system with the hike in the garbage fees. Since the civic body accepts house tax along with the garbage fees, it was decided to accept the payment on these two heads after the NIC updates the system," he said.

To a question, the Chief Officer pointed out that the civic body has accepted the new garbage rates notified by the government.

If a household was paying garbage fees amounting to Rs 50 a month, the monthly garbage fees will now go up to Rs 75 per household.

Even as the Chief Officer pointed out that the council has decided to accept the government-notified garbage collection rates to mop up additional revenue for the civic body, a section of the councillors seemed to have suddenly developed cold feet in accepting the government notification.

Sources in the know informed that the government notified rates have found no favour with a section of the councillors, who are of the opinion that the civic body ought to effect a gradual hike in the fees and taxes and not 50 per cent at one stroke.

Given that the civic body has time to take a call on the fixation of the garbage fees, civic officials hope Municipal chairperson Damu Shriodkar take an early call on the hike in the garbage fees at the earliest.