JAMMU: Former minister and senior JKNPP leader Harsh Dev Singh strongly criticized the imposition of property tax in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it highly unjustified, unconstitutional, and atrocious.
He said that if the BJP government did not withdraw this obnoxious property tax, it would face severe consequences and be removed from power.
“The property tax has been imposed through an irregular amendment made in the Municipal Corporation Act and Municipal Council Act by the MHA by taking recourse to the J&K Re-organization Act,” JKNPP leader Singh said while addressing a press conference in Udhampur.
He said, “Such a significant amendment has a far-reaching impact upon the J&K’s economy and its people and could not have been affected without the legislative nod of the Elected Assembly”.
He said that laws, enactments, and amendments pertaining to municipal corporations, councils etc are the prerogative of State Legislatures/local Assemblies as envisaged in Schedule VII, List II of the Constitution of India.
“The GoI and LG administration should have therefore refrained from crossing the rubicon and desisted from embarking upon such a misadventure which has sparked massive outrage all over J&K,” Singh added.
Cautioning the govt of serious consequences arising from the imposition of Property Tax, Harsh observed that since all the major commercial activities in J&K like tourism, industries, real estate, agriculture, etc had born the brunt of insurgency, civil unrest and natural disasters in the past many years, the move to levy such tax had evoked only cynicism besides sparking outrage amongst people in general.
“The BJP would be thrown out of power if it failed to withdraw the obnoxious property tax which was likely to affect the very survival of a vast section of the population inhabiting the urban areas of J&K”, Harsh said.
He said that if the BJP government did not withdraw this obnoxious property tax, it would face severe consequences and be removed from power.
“The property tax has been imposed through an irregular amendment made in the Municipal Corporation Act and Municipal Council Act by the MHA by taking recourse to the J&K Re-organization Act,” JKNPP leader Singh said while addressing a press conference in Udhampur.
He said, “Such a significant amendment has a far-reaching impact upon the J&K’s economy and its people and could not have been affected without the legislative nod of the Elected Assembly”.
He said that laws, enactments, and amendments pertaining to municipal corporations, councils etc are the prerogative of State Legislatures/local Assemblies as envisaged in Schedule VII, List II of the Constitution of India.
“The GoI and LG administration should have therefore refrained from crossing the rubicon and desisted from embarking upon such a misadventure which has sparked massive outrage all over J&K,” Singh added.
Cautioning the govt of serious consequences arising from the imposition of Property Tax, Harsh observed that since all the major commercial activities in J&K like tourism, industries, real estate, agriculture, etc had born the brunt of insurgency, civil unrest and natural disasters in the past many years, the move to levy such tax had evoked only cynicism besides sparking outrage amongst people in general.
“The BJP would be thrown out of power if it failed to withdraw the obnoxious property tax which was likely to affect the very survival of a vast section of the population inhabiting the urban areas of J&K”, Harsh said.