Terming the hike in property tax as seen in the special notices issued by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation as very steep, the Visakhapatnam Apartment Residents' Welfare Association (VARWA) and Visakha Poura Samkshema Sangham (VPSS), described it the manner in which it had been hiked as irrational and unjust.
VARWA President Ch.L.N. Sastry, general secretary A.V. Ramana Rao and VPSS general secretary B. Ganga Rao at a press conference here on Sunday said the hike was between 250 per cent and 486 per cent.
It was a cause of great worry for the middle-class flat-owners.
They quoted certain assessments to substantiate their contention that the hike was abnormal.
For assessment no 46500/1620 the hike is from Rs.678 to Rs.3295, 486 per cent; for 46500/1624 the increase from Rs.526 to Rs.1956 is 370 per cent while for 46500/1625 it is 347 per cent increase from Rs.564 to Rs.1956, for 56586 it was 328 per cent increase from Rs.333 to Rs.1094; for 46500/2284 the hike is from Rs.737 to Rs.2113 (286 per cent) and for 41000/2281, from Rs.1628 to Rs.4824 it is a 285 per cent hike.
Another discrepancy is that for two apartments beside each other paying the same tax previously, the increase has been varied.
At Door No.54-15-1, for Flat no. 2E the hike is from Rs.663 to Rs.2093, 315 per cent. For 3E and 4E, it is from Rs.663 to Rs.2289 and Rs.2691 and a hike of Rs.345 per cent and 405 per cent respectively.
Stir threat
VARWA and VPSS condemned the GVMC for imposing an unbearable burden on the middle class by such an abnormal increase.
They warned of an agitation if it was not rolled back.
