Terming the reported plans of the ruling Congress to provide some relief to property tax payers as a victory of the combined Opposition struggle, TDP Floor leader P. Mutyala Naidu has demanded that the council general body meeting take a final decision that favoured taxpayers.
His demand came in the wake of the Congress urging the Mayor to effect a rollback in the property tax increase citing two GOs that had been issued in March 2011. The GVMC decision to increase tax on the basis of rental values was made applicable from 2010-11.
He told reporters here on Friday that opposition parties comprising the TDP, the CPI(M), and the CPI had been carrying on an agitation for more than a year and the TDP organised a 13-day relay fast demanding a rollback. All along, the Mayor and the Commissioner had been maintaining that reducing the tax was not possible. The High Court had given interim orders providing relief to the petitioners by asking the GVMC to collect only 75 per cent increase on the previous tax from them.
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The general body meeting had been stalled several times and the last one had been adjourned abruptly without taking up the agenda after the Opposition stalled the proceeding demanding that the court orders be made applicable to all.
Mr. Mutyala Naidu said, subsequently, a meeting was held with Floor leaders where it was stated that a list of assessees whose tax had gone up by more than 75 per cent would be provided. Of the 3.5 lakh assessments, the increase was more than 75 per cent for 1 lakh assessments, the Floor leaders were informed.