Assam Govt. "Re-assessment of Property Tax in Silchar Municipal Board is kept in abeyance"

Following a series of Protests and debates, the Reassessment of Property Tax in Silchar Municipality Board has been kept in abeyance. This is what was declared as an order from the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs today. The Municipal Reform Cell formed by the Assam Government declared that the property taxes in the municipal areas of Assam would be revised and increased. Even though the percentage of increase in taxes was not declared, it created clashes between the representatives of the ruling party in Silchar and the opposition. Following many oppositions from the citizens and a series of protests by the Trinamool Congress and Congress party, this decision came from the State Government’s Urban Affairs Department.

The order passed today evening read, “Subsequent to the enactment of Assam Municipal Corporation Act 2022, the process of constitution of Silchar Municipal Corporation is under process with revision in boundaries. Hence, the process of Re-assessment of Property Tax in Silchar Municipal Board is kept in abeyance till the creation of the new Municipal Corporation”. The order further said, “This issues with the approval of the Hon’ble Minister, DoHUA”.

Since the Silchar Municipality’s elected body was dissolved after it completed the term, elections were not held for various reasons including the pandemic. Months back, Silchar Municipality was declared a corporation that brought many parts of Cachar which were earlier a part of Gaon Panchayat under the jurisdiction of the Corporation. The taxes that are being hiked are happening throughout the municipalities in Assam and only Silchar is an exception in this now. The self-assessment and tax hike will be implemented only after an elected body comes into force. The election for the Municipality is supposed to be held in the coming months.

This afternoon, the members of Trinamool Congress led by Rajya Sabha MP, Sushmita Dev broke out in protest against the tax hike by Silchar Municipality Board, which doesn’t have an elected body. The discontent between the two parties have been going on since some time, when Sushmita Dev warned of a mass movement if the tax hike were implemented, MLA Dipayan Chakraborty warned against those not filling their self-assessment. He even threatened legal actions against anyone opposing the self-assessment. The ruling party was busy promising the advantages of self-assessment and why it’s important, meanwhile, its state headquarters has decided to pull it off.