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Kerala Kaumudi Online
Thursday, 28 March 2024 6.16 PM IST

Service should also improve along with increase in tax 

tax

The tax burden on the people will increase as government spending increases. Various rates are being raised in the state to increase the local bodies' revenue. This will be reflected in building taxes, license fees and movie tickets. There will be an increase in fees for services in other departments as well. It has been decided to sharply increase the rates for all services provided by the police. Everything from a mic license to an escort will become expensive.

In the past, local bodies used to reduce fees as a ploy to increase popularity. The exemption of low-income groups from building tax is part of the welfare program. However, the present situation is so bad that the local bodies cannot move forward if the financial situation does not improve. Based on the report of the Sixth State Finance Commission, the Cabinet has approved recommendations to improve the revenue receipts of local bodies.

Earlier, small houses with a floor area of ​​up to fifty square meters had been exempted from building tax. From now on, such buildings will also have to pay tax. The authorities are planning to impose half of the current tax imposed on homes up to 60 square meters on this category of homes. Authorities also intend to charge 15 percent more for large houses of more than 3,000 square feet.

Although it is a common practice to change tax rates from time to time, it is important to check whether the people are receiving proportional services from the local bodies. The enthusiasm shown to collect taxes from completed buildings is not seen in the issue of issuing construction licenses etc. The applicant has to constantly visit the offices for permission. Corruption associated with it is also notorious.

Several incidents have occurred where the money collected as tax money was not recorded in records. An investigation is still taking place in connection with the tax evasion in the Thiruvananthapuram municipality. In addition to imposing higher taxes, Authorities must take action to raise the standard of service. The conditions of roads, streetlights, drinking water supply and first aid facilities need to be improved.

Flex boards can be seen on every road, even after the High Court banned them. These boards are installed at junctions by even obscuring signal lights. Increasing taxes indiscriminately is not a sign of good governance. In Delhi and Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party governments have shown good governance by reducing and even abolishing some taxes. There is no tax on drinking water. They are providing 300 units of free electricity to every house. We can only dream of such reforms here. Even while preaching about the tax burden, the authorities are only thinking of ways to increase them.

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