National Conference slams J&K govt for imposing property tax without public scrutiny

22-02-2023 : The Jammu and Kashmir administration has announced that property tax will be imposed on people residing within the jurisdiction of urban local bodies throughout the Union territory from April 1, sparking criticism from political parties. The Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department, H Rajesh Prasad, issued a notification outlining the rules for the levy, assessment, and collection of property tax in municipalities and municipal councils, which shall be known as the Jammu and Kashmir Property Tax (Other Municipalities) Rules, 2023, and will come into effect from April 1, 2023. The decision has been made under the powers conferred by Section 71A of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, read with Sub-Section 1 of Section 65 and Sub Section 1 of Section 73, as per the notification.

Former J&K chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has criticized the move, stating that people in J&K should not be expected to pay state taxes such as the proposed property tax when they have no say in how their government is run. The National Conference has demanded a rollback of the order and stated that such matters should be left to an elected government to discuss. They have also raised concerns over important issues being overlooked by the current bureaucratic setup and orders being issued without considering their impact or public opinion.

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