MARGAO
Ahead of the Margao Municipal Council meeting scheduled on June 23, the Shadow Council for Margao has sought to know from the elected representatives the rationale behind the huge hike in taxes and fees proposed to be increased.SCM called upon the people of Margao, to question the representatives elected by them over the proposed hike.
SCM Convenor Savio Coutinho said citizens and loyal taxpayers have been consistently protesting against the discrimination over the tax burden on the legally assessed premises, while the unassessed premises are left scot-free.
“Very recently the sanitation fees were doubled by lying to the citizens that the hike, based on the government notification has been implemented in all the 13 Municipal Councils across Goa. The truth however is that practically none of the other Councils have implemented the hike in sanitation fees," Coutinho said, while challenging to prove this fact.
He added: “Based on the repeated announcements that the unassessed premises will be brought under the tax net, it was expected that the Council would do the same; but instead, they now propose to levy a late fee on delay payments of house tax, which is totally unjustified."
Saying the masters who tutor the councillors into taking these decisions to burden the legally assessed premises, while bestowing free services to their vote banks need to be questioned by the people, Coutinho said the Shadow Council will always continue to create awareness over the wrongs that the Council indulges into doing.
“Several services are listed for an exorbitant hike in taxes and fees to mop up additional revenue for the Council, but the untapped sources of revenue continue to remain untouched," Coutinho rues. "The meeting on June 23 now targets every common citizen with the proposed hike in fees for correction of birth/death certificates, income certificates, NOC's etc.," he said.
SCM further demanded to know from the councillors under what moral right they propose to hike the fees for advertisement boards when the councillors themselves erect boards without permission and payment of applicable fees.
