Staff Reporter
Panaji
The Santa Cruz gram sabha on Sunday turned contentious as villagers strongly opposed the proposed hike in house taxes and fees for house tax transfers, leading to heated debates and disagreements.
The primary point of contention was the panchayat’s decision to charge Rs 25,000 for house tax transfers. Resident Daigo questioned the rationale behind the steep fee. The panchayat secretary said that the fee would apply only to house or flat sales, while the transfer fee for regular house transfers would remain Rs 3,000.
Sarpanch Jennifer
Oliveira said that the
resolution to increase house tax had been passed unanimously in a previous meeting, though only
a few members were present. However, former sarpanch Edwin Dias strongly opposed the move, saying that the panchayat had imposed an excessive and unfair increase
of over 200 per cent.
“According to Section 153, taxes can only be raised by 10 per cent. This increase is unjustified and places an extra burden on villagers,” he said.
Dias added that houses built before 1990 should only be charged Rs 300 in tax, adding that there were no directives from the Block Development Officer (BDO) or the Directorate mandating such hikes. He accused the panchayat of failing to address local issues despite collecting over Rs 80 lakh in commercial and professional taxes from villagers.
Oliveira defended the panchayat, saying that every gram sabha meeting was disrupted by villagers creating chaos, forcing the proceedings to be cut short. “As a panchayat body, we always make it a point to pass resolutions to address villagers’ concerns,” she said.
