JK News Today
Jammu, March 12 : The UT administration has sought suggestions from public on the property tac , which is scheduled to be imposed across J&K from April 1. The Housing and Urban development , in its notification dated March 10, has sought suggestions from the public about the tax and how it could be implemented in a mutually acceptable way.
The Department has given 10 days time to the public to put forth its suggestions about the property tax , the notification of which on February 21 had stated that 5 per cent tax would be applicable to the residential properties, while the commercial property owners wll have to ay 6 per cent tax annually .
The property tax announcement has led to immediate protests by almost all sections of society , who could not decode the complicated calculations include in the notification. However , later the government came out with the simple calculation of the property tax, making it clear that it would not apply to the rural population , and at least 40 per cent of the urban population which is having upto 1,000 sq. feet constructed area will have to pay no tax and other 40 percent of the urban population, having constructed area between 1,000 – 1500 feet will have to play nominal tax between Rs. 600 o Rs. 1,000.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, himself offered a detailed over view of the tax, allying fears that the poor will have nothing to worry and even others will have to pay very low rate of tax, as the PT in J&K was the lowest in comparison to Dehradun, Ambala and Shimla.
The opposition parties and the trade bodies , however, were of the view that this was an arbitrary decision and it should have been notified only after consultation with all the stake holders.
Responding to these ideas , the government has thrown the ball in court of the people , seeking their suggestions , which the people should submit by March 20, 2023.
