Jammu, 6 October: After repeatedly postponing the deadline for the imposition of property taxes in municipal corporations and other municipalities, the administration has now announced that the deadline will now be postponed until “such date as it (the government) may notify.”
The development has occurred while uncertainty around the holding of elections for urban local bodies, whose terms are up in a month, reigns supreme.
In the absence of any official announcement, speculation about the possibility of postponing the ULB and Panchayat elections has been further fueled by the much-hyped J&K BJP Core Group meeting with the Union Home Minister last month. Significantly, the J&K (BJP) Core Group brought up the public dissatisfaction over the imposition of property tax during the discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J. P. Nadda.
The proviso to Rule 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Property Tax (Municipal Corporation) Rules, 2023, was modified by two notifications that were released by the J&K Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) on September 30, 2023.
According to a notification (SO 505) issued by the J&K Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) Principal Secretariat, “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 143A of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000, the Government hereby directs that, in proviso to Rule 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Property Tax (Municipal Corporation) Rules, 2023, for the figures and words “30th September, 2023,” the words “such date as the Government may notify
Another notification (SO 506) issued by Goyal stated, “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 71-A of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, the Government hereby directs that, in proviso to Rule 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Property Tax (Other Municipalities) Rules, 2023, the words “such date as the Government may notify” shall be substituted for the figures and words “30th September, 2023.”
The J&K BJP leaders were urged to prepare for the parliamentary elections by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the meeting in order to secure the party’s and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third straight term in office.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Jammu, has meanwhile applauded the J&K government’s decision to postpone the implementation of property tax.
Arun Gupta, president of CCI Jammu, presided over a meeting at the Chamber House in this respect, which was also attended by Jammu Chamber office holders.
Gupta thanked the Lieutenant Governor at the meeting for “showing a profound commitment to the aspirations of the Jammu people by honouring the Jammu Chamber’s request.”
In this context, the Jammu Chamber had asked for the suspension of the property tax as well as a Jammu bandh, he remembered. The resounding response from Jammu residents “understood the importance of this issue within the community,” according to Gupta.
The head of the Jammu Chamber encouraged the government to start a thorough discussion on property tax with all interested parties. He emphasised the need for in-depth consultations with key stakeholders in order to develop a thoughtful property tax policy. He thought that this strategy would aid in the growth and prosperity of the area.
