The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Corporation relents to public pressure

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Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Corporation relents to public pressure

Staff Reporter

Adjourns discussion on property tax hike

— PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

Novel protest: Erode Corporation Councillors carry urns to register their protest against the proposal to hike property tax.

ERODE: In what appears to be a first round victory for the association representing various trade bodies and welfare organisations, Erode Corporation has decided to postpone increasing property tax.

At the Corporation Council meeting on Monday, Mayor K. Kumar Murugesh said discussion regarding property tax hike would be held involving all councillors at a later date and a decision would be taken only thereafter. Following the Mayor’s statement and an assurance extracted by councillors in this regard, the subject was not taken up for discussion. Earlier, councillors were on their feet urging the Corporation not to hike property tax. Barring the DMK councillors, all others opposed the hike. A few of them broke urns to register their protests before entering the Council Hall.

Ward 5 Councillor A. Muthusamy wanted to know why the civic body spent “unnecessarily and lavishly” if it wanted to mobilise additional resources by way of increasing property tax? He referred to the works in progress in bus stand and the expenditure towards memorial pillar at the Corporation compound to drive home his point. “It was only a couple of years ago that the civic body, then a Municipality, had spent lakhs of Rupees towards upgrade. At present it is again carrying out works to the tune of several lakhs of Rupees. And, the civic body has built a memorial pillar to mark its upgrade as Corporation for about Rs. 30 lakh. What is the need for such expenditure, when it needs additional resources to meet expenses.”

Ward 17 Councillor ’Market’ N. Raja said the proposed property tax hike would burden the people. Radhamani Bharathi of Ward 23 too expressed a similar opinion.

She referred to the Corporation budget for 2008-09 to demand that the civic body meet its expenses without rising property tax.

The budget reported the civic body had a surplus Rs. 1.4 crore. Commissioner K. Selvaraj, clarified surplus had been calculated only after taking into account the proposed property tax hike.

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