The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Toll tax collection by SCB opposed

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Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Toll tax collection by SCB opposed

Special Correspondent

Discontinuation of octroi, toll taxes sought due to complaints about fleecing

HYDERABAD: Leaders of all the political parties in the Secunderabad Cantonment have decided to jointly strive to prevent octroi and toll taxes from being collected from the next financial year of 2009-10. A meeting which was scheduled to be held on Tuesday got postponed for tomorrow to discuss the issue.

Their move has become imperative under the current circumstances despite the general elections fever because the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has gone ahead with a fresh tender notification for the forthcoming financial year and bids are to be opened later this week. Last year, revenue from these two taxes was about Rs. 12 crore.

Tenders invited

SCB had called for the tax collection tenders, notwithstanding a unanimous resolution passed in the previous Board meetings as State government did not come up with a concrete assurance to grant Rs. 10 crore annually in lieu of abolishing both octroi and toll taxes.

Elected members led by vice-president J. Pratap had vociferously argued for discontinuation of both taxes as there have been numerous complaints from citizens about arbitrary fleecing by the tax collecting contractors.

It had reached such a stage that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had already taken up investigations and the SCB too had slapped a Rs. 10 lakh penalty on the contractor.

Board resolutions were passed twice earlier too recommending abolition of these taxes but the Defence Ministry had sought an alternate financial plan.

Elected members promised to get an undertaking from the State government by February last month but the elections announcement put paid to their hopes. Consequently, SCB officials issued the tender notification since it “cannot ignore the official gazette”.

Meanwhile, the SCB had fixed March 26 for hearing suggestions and objections from citizens on the recent notices issued to 60,000 properties hiking the property tax after a two decade gap. Cantonment residents as well as public representatives have been demanding a cut in the proposed tax rates.

Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has gone ahead with a fresh tender notification for the forthcoming financial year and bids are to be opened later this week. Last year, revenue from these two taxes was about Rs. 12 crore.

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