GUWAHATI: Property tax will be collected as per the proportion of growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Assam, State Urban Affairs minister Ashok Singhal informed the state assembly today.
Replying to a zero-hour notice from Congress member Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha on the third day of the budget session, Singhal said there has been a disparity in the fixation of property tax in all towns by municipality boards for the past four decades.
"We have reformed the property tax collection system in all the towns across the state. According to these reforms, the property tax will be fixed as per the proportion of the growth of GDP in the state,” Singhal said.
He said ₹2,400 per 1,000 sq ft has been collected as property tax in Dibrugarh, where it is ₹18,506 in Tinsukia, ₹11,600 in Jorhat, ₹5,500 in Bongaigaon and ₹2,500 per 1,000 per sq ft in Goalpara.
He also said the property tax is ₹10,600 per 1,000 sq ft in Barpeta, ₹352 in Kharupetia, ₹7,600 in Moran and ₹420 per sq ft in Mariani.
“Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have the liberty to determine the property tax in their respective municipality areas. These are local self-government. The state government has no role to play here,” Singhal also said.
“Due to non-assessment of property tax, the municipal bodies have been facing a financial crisis. We want the property tax to be collected by each municipality board according to the proportion of GDP growth.
The minister also informed the House that the state government is also planning to dispose of all legacy waste in all 102 municipality areas of the state.
“We will set up plants for disposal of all legacy wastes in all 102 municipality areas of the state. All the municipality bodies will have their plant to dispose of legacy wastes for treatment, processing, and rehabilitation through a process of bio-mining,” he added.
