Cooch Behar, March 8 -- There is no increase in municipality tax for the residents of Cooch Behar town this year. Following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's announcement, the new draft Budget of Cooch Behar Municipality was presented, with Chairman Rabindranath Ghosh unveiling the Budget for 2024-25 on Thursday evening.
Ghosh clarified: "No new taxes have been introduced in this Budget. However, newly-constructed malls, hotels, nursing homes and multi-storied commercial establishments in the city will be subject to taxation at rates determined by the State Valuation Board. This process will commence after the Lok Sabha polls.
Those currently taxed at Rs 36 or Rs 42 will continue to pay the same amount. Notably, 70 per cent of traders in the city operate without a trade license, resulting in an annual loss of Rs 3 crore for the municipality."
The estimated income in this Budget stands at Rs 136 crore 6 lakh 2 thousand, with expenses totaling Rs 121 crore and 43 lakh. In other words, a surplus expenditure of Rs 14 crore 63 lakh 2 thousand has been indicated.
The recent tax assessment in Cooch Behar, calculated by the State Valuation Board, has sparked uproar in the town. Even within the party, several district leaders have opposed the issue to the municipality chairman. TMC district president Abhijit De Bhowmik directly objected to the municipality's tax hike. The matter reached Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who, during her recent visit to Cooch Behar, announced the suspension of the process for the time being.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.