CM orders to re-evaluate increased property tax

LOKMAT NEWS NETWORK

Nashik, Mar 14

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered to re-evaluate the increase in property tax during the tenure of the then Commissioner of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) Tukaram Mundhe. The letter regarding that has been received by the Municipal Corporation on Wednesday. Therefore, the increased property tax will be canceled and a new assessment will have to be done.

After the rule of the elected public representative in the Municipal Corporation, the property tax was not increased. Therefore in 2018, the then Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe had imposed a 30 to 70 percent tax increase on the citizens of the city. Citizens expressed their anger at the same. Mundhe also imposed a tax hike on open plots and agricultural lands. The farmers protested as the tax hike was imposed on agriculture. In the Nashik Municipal Corporation's General Body Meeting, it was resolved twice, to cancel the tax hike. However, the Commissioner was of the view that he had full authority to fix the annual value. Therefore, he did not implement the resolution of the General Body Meeting and did not send it to the Urban Development Department of the Government to cancel it. This is the reason why the NMC administration and the Urban Development Department faced difficulties in the petition filed by Gurmeet Bagga and other former corporators in the High Court regarding the cancellation of this tax increase.

Meanwhile, guardian minister Dada Bhuse and district head of Shiv Sena’s Shinde group Ajay Boraste met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week and explained the difficulties of canceling this unreasonable tax hike. Accordingly, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had instructed the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. As the properties after April 1, 2018, will be re-evaluated, citizens who are subject to the tax hike and who are buying new houses will get a big relief.

Info

On March 31, 2018, the then Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe issued Order No. 522, increasing the taxable value of the city and raising the property tax of new properties coming on the municipal records. In this context, the public representatives of all parties came together and canceled the tax increase in the General Body Meeting. However, the resolution was not implemented. If the resolution is not accepted, as per rules it should be sent to the government for cancellation. However, the resolution was sent for cancellation. Therefore, a petition has been filed in the High Court against this. All the hearings have been completed, but the tax hike could not be canceled only because the government has yet to say anything about the resolution. Keeping this in mind, Shiv Sena District Chief Ajay Boraste met the Chief Minister.

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Thousands of citizens in Nashik have to face the brunt of increased property tax from April 1, 2018. Professionals also had problems. So they needed to be relieved. That is why a memorandum was given to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde regarding the cancellation of tax. Orders in this regard have been issued.

- Ajay Boraste District Chief, Shiv Sena, Shinde Group