50 pc waiver in water tax remains a gimmick!

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, June 29:

The growing unrest amongst the tax-payers, especially the tech-savvy citizens, over the delay in implementation of a 50 per cent discount in water tax by Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the past one and a half months, is become unbearable.

A whiff of confusion has prevailed as tax-payers claimed that they are pushed to think whether it was just a gimmick or the state government is waiting for an opportunity to gain political mileage by approving it.

The Aurangabadkars pay Rs 4,050 as water tax, every year. Taking cognizance of the voice represented by public representatives, the guardian minister Subhash Desai waived Rs 2,000 from the water tax and clarified that the citizens will have to pay just 50 per cent (Rs 2050) on May 13 evening.

Earlier, the AMC through Smart City Mission had undertaken the task of providing the facility of paying property tax as well as water tax online (for the first time) for the citizens since April 1, 2022. Hence the collection of water tax online was suspended under the aegis of software up-gradation was underway by Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL). In addition, the announcement made by the guardian minister of fee-waiver pushed the ASCDCL into confusion as it could not revise the discounted water tax figures in the software unless they receive any official diktat and appeal to citizens to start paying online. Sensing its importance, the AMC administrator A K Pandey sent the proposal for administrative approval to the state government. Since then the proposal is lying pending with the state administration.

“The waiver in water tax-relieved lakhs of water tax-payers, who were feeling financially burden, since past many years. They were paying full tax despite receiving water for the gap of 6-10 days. Hence they are eagerly waiting for the implementation of the discount, but their dream is yet to be fulfilled, for the past one and a half months. The ward officers claimed that they could not predict when the online facility would start. Hence unrest is growing and disappointment is prevailing amongst the tax-payers, especially the online tax-payers. The government should immediately okay it on priority,” said a group of tax-payers from Cidco, on condition of anonymity.

The group underlined that it seems that the approval is related to the forthcoming AMC elections and will be okayed just ahead of the announcement of the election schedule. Till then, we will have to continue to face inconvenience.

ASCDCL sources claimed that we will upgrade the software and revise the discounted tax figure after receiving orders from the AMC.

When contacted the AMC’s assessor and collector of tax and deputy commissioner Aparna Thete

said,” I will update after obtaining the details from the concerned authority.”