Non-Agri Tax: Citizens to move court if hike not withdrawn

Residents of Western suburbs are planning to move court if the state government does not withdraw the hike in non-agricultural tax (NA).

Residents of Western suburbs are planning to move court if the state government does not withdraw the hike in non-agricultural tax (NA).

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About 500 residents of Bandra, Khar and Santacruz from the H-West Residents Trust and Bombay Catholic Sabha, met at Bandra on Sunday and moved a resolution against the hike in NA tax.

“We will see what the state does. Otherwise, we will move court,” said Anandini Thakoor, chairperson of the residents’ organisation. The association also plans to hold citizens’ representations against the hike.

The state had on Friday said it would move a proposal in the Cabinet within a fortnight to withdraw the NA tax.

The NA tax is imposed on areas earlier marked as agricultural but are being used for non-agricultural activities. In 2006, the state decided to link the tax with the Ready Reckoner rates.

In November 2009, several societies in the Western suburbs got notices stating they have to pay a hiked tax of about 300 per cent, with retrospective effect from 2006. “The law says the tax cannot be more than three per cent,” said senior advocate of the Bombay High Court, Uday Warunjikar.