CPM condemns increase in SAS property tax

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Corporation's decision to continue increasing the SAS property tax by 3% annually is another financial attack on the residents of the urban area, stated CPM functionaries.Disregarding the system that mandates a comprehensive assessment and revision every 3 years, mechanically increasing the tax annually is merely an "easy way to collect revenue," they said. At a time when ordinary people struggled to make ends meet without income, increasing taxes imposed economic oppression, stated CPM Mangaluru City South and North wing secretaries Yogesh Jappinamogaru and Prameela Shaktinagar.
"Raising taxes without considering public opinion, especially when there are no democratically elected representatives at the ward level, is a violation of democratic values. Projects undertaken with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the name of urban development have now become symbols of debt burden," the representatives noted.Delays in sewer works, flaws in drinking water projects, and unplanned expenses are all evidence of administrative failure. The CPM strongly opposes the actions of officials who shifted the burden of mismanagement and failure by previous BJP administrations and the current bureaucratic city administration onto ordinary taxpayers. Transferring the debt of poor administrative decisions onto the people is a completely anti-people policy, they said.Imposing the same tax on old, dilapidated houses and modern multi-storey buildings is not a scientific approach, and goes against social justice. Excessive taxation on vacant lands is a direct attack on the middle and working-class people. For those who did not yet recover economically after the pandemic, this became another burden, the leaders explained, adding that urban development is necessary, but it should be people-friendly.The CPM urged the MCC to immediately withdraw the SAS property tax increase, and they demanded the implementation of income-based, scientific, and fair standards in the tax system. They also warned that intense protests will be inevitable if the MCC does not consider reducing the taxes.