It is surprising to learn that in villages of Raijhola (Ganjam district, Odisha) and its other parts and in Bihar, villagers pay house tax ranging from just Rs 2 to Rs 10 per year to their local panchayat offices. Yet, in Goa, residents are forced to pay house taxes amounting to thousands of rupees, as if Goa is a separate country. Are the village panchayat laws different for Goa compared to other states? Is Goa considered a European country rather than a part of India? Moreover, the village panchayat offices in Goa also charge villagers for street light tax and garbage tax. This raises an important question: What is the role of the village Panchayat office if it only recovers various taxes from villagers without providing any tangible development or addressing basic needs for the welfare of the sons and daughters of the soil? What use is a government that enforces different policies in different states and treats its citizens unequally? Goa’s tax system should be fair and consistent with the rest of the country, focusing on real development rather than merely collecting taxes.
RONNIE DSOUZA, Chandor
