Outrage across Assam as municipal tax is set to increase from April 1

Assam witnessed widespread protests on Monday, as the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad staged a gherao of municipalities across the state, demanding the cancellation of the recently imposed excessive municipal quota in the state. The central committee of the organization along with the Morigaon district committee gheraoed the Morigaon municipal office, while protests were held in other parts of the state as well.

The outrage comes after an announcement by Minister Ashok Singhal in the assembly session, stating that municipal tax will be increased from April 1. 102 municipalities across the state will be affected by the tax hike. The move has been met with anger and frustration among the general public.

During the protests, slogans such as 'BJP go back', 'Cancel the municipal core', and 'Accept our demands, let the municipality come out' were raised by the protestors. The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad handed over a memorandum to the chief minister of the state through the district collector, calling for the cancellation of the decision to increase municipal taxes.

The proposed tax hike, set to take effect on April 1st, has caused panic among middle and lower-middle-class citizens who will be most affected. The government has stated that the tax increase will be a maximum of 10%, but confusion remains over the exact amount of the hike.

The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad has called for the government to provide relief to economically distressed citizens due to the Covid-19 situation and to allow public objections to be raised within a month as per the U/s 79 E of Assam Municipal Act, 1956.

As tensions continue to rise, many citizens are demanding that the government listen to their concerns and cancel the proposed tax hike.