Four days are left to submit the self assessment form ( SAF) for the holding taxes in Medininagar and Bishrampur Municipal councils. Information booklet speaks of fine to the tune of rupees 2,000 in case of residence and 5,000 where SAF has not been submitted by January 31 for shop and commercial units like marriage halls, clubs, hotels, restaurants.
Executive officer Medininagar municipal council Ajay Kumar Saw said in the last board meeting of this council it was resovled to urge the Government to extend the date of submission of SAF till March 31st. Saw said the final decision is to be taken by the urban development department.
Residents of Bishrampur municipal council are quite sore with this rent fixation for holding taxes as Bishrampur continues to be a rural setting but with its municipal council status it has less of civic amenities and more of tax burden.
Holding taxes are decided by the width of road and road has been classified as principal road ( 40 feet width) main road ( width 20 feet to 40 feet) and road ( width less than 20 feet0.
Municipal council officials along with circle officers draw a list of three remarkable holdings on each of these three types of road to fix rent per square feet. The rent per square feet in bIshrampur municipal council ranges between 7 rupees per square feet to nine rupees per square feet.
Executive officer Saw of Medininagar Municipal council said the urban development department has freed 250 square feet holding of all liability of holding taxes be it residential one or the commercial one.
Further Ajay K Saw said ' Resident should understand if their holding has 1,000 square feet then holding tax is not to be fixed on this 1,000 square feet but just 70 % of the holding that taxing for only 700 square feet.'
Sources said the 30 % relief on holding tax is on account of staircase , puja ghar, bath/wash room etc.
Sadar SDO Nancy Sahay when asked that rent fixation has been done at her end to which she said there is a standard procedure of rent fixation of holding on the basis of its location across the road which are typified as of 3 classes depending upon its width and then in a pure mathematical way the average rent per holding residential and commercial is drawn up.
Medininagar residents are up in arms against the provision of fine 2,000 and 5,000 rupees respectively and argue there are thousands of willful defaulter of bank loans who have gulped down lakhs of government money of the banks where interest on their loans accrue day and night and these big faces walk free, the lending banks stoop before them to return their interest and seek compromise but here a dweller is asked to pay fine as if the dweller will vanish with his immovable property the holding ( read the house or the shop). said K K Singh and A Zaman.