Whenever the administration intends to work for the development of the valley or introduces schemes and open avenues for people, some elements try to create misinformation in the minds of people. Not only the common people but the opposition parties start creating controversies to hamper prosperity and well-being. While the Government is working on improving the financial condition of Jammu and Kashmir UT, some people are spreading baseless rumors to divert the attention of the citizens from the development works. The Government really wants to work for the people and for that purpose, expects people to cooperate very well so that we can work collectively. Though the property tax is the most significant tax collected by the Government for the efficient working of any nation. In our UT this tax was not imposed till date which slowly hampered the local bodies and the quality of living of its citizens. As soon as the Government of India made property tax compulsory in Jammu and Kashmir some people started reacting badly. Even literate citizens began to protest against it. To clarify the misinformation related to the tax, the chief secretary made it quite clear that the poverty-stricken, marginalized having diminutive houses having built-up areas up to 1000 square feet have been spared by the government from paying any property tax to be imposed from April onwards in 2023. For many years, the non-imposition of property tax in our valley was depriving the local Government to become self-reliant. The property tax will ameliorate the financial conditions of these institutions and improve services. Religious places like mosques, Gurudwaras, Churches, shrines Cremation grounds, and Burial grounds will remain free from paying tax. Tax is proposed to be imposed at just 5% of the Taxable Annual Value (TAV) of the property in the case of a residential property and at 6% of TAV in the case of Non-Residential property. The Chief Secretary directed the officials to clear the delusion of the citizens. He asked them to create awareness and a helpline for people who deliver the right information regarding the property tax. In this way, the confusion and misunderstanding will end. He told them that the citizens must use the ‘Property Tax calculator’ so that they can assess how much tax they have to pay. The people must research how the property tax is going to benefit the UT. Surely the payment of property tax in the UT will aid the citizens in availing numerous facilities and services through their concerned local bodies with the expenditure of funds collected by imposing this tax. The property tax will surely help the UT to become more developed and financially sound in the near future. People must appreciate the administration for doing good work and try to understand the benefits they will get after the tax is imposed.
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