Srinagar, (Samajweekly) The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) on Tuesday decried the notification regarding imposition of property tax in the Union Territory, claiming that it smacks of arbitrariness.
Responding to the notification, NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said, “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been at the receiving end economically since 2019 due to the losses suffered by the August 5, 2019 lockdown and then the successive Covid lockdowns. Imposition of property tax will further push the people to the wall. Such decisions will make the situation worse.”
Questioning the haste in which such decisions are taken in the absence of a democratically-elected government, Dar said, “Such matters should be left to an elected government. The people’s representatives must be given an opportunity to discuss these issues. Unfortunately, such important matters don’t face public scrutiny under the current bureaucratic set-up. It has become a habit of those in power in Delhi to issue orders, irrespective of their impact or public opinion.”
Dar also termed the decision as ‘anti-people’ and a ‘grave injustice’, as he demanded its immediate rollback.
“Such revenue generation measures must be left to a democratically elected government in J&K,” he added.
Property tax will be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir from April 1, 2023, as oer the notification issued on Tuesday.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 71A of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000 (hereinafter referred to as the Act), read with Sub-Section 1 of Section 65 and Sub-Section 1 of Section 73 thereof, the government hereby notifies the following rules for levy, assessment and collection of property tax in the Municipalities and Municipal Councils of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” read the notification issued by Housing and Urban Development department.
“These rules shall be called Jammu and Kashmir Property Tax (Other Municipalities) Rules, 2023. These shall come into force from April 1, 2023,” it added.
