In yet another U-turn by the DMK government, Pollachi municipal administration headed by DMK has reduced the hike in property tax following the protest by Pollachi BJP cadres.
In April 2022, Pollachi municipality led by DMK Chairman Shyamala Navaneethakrishnan passed a resolution to hike the property tax in the municipality. The increased property tax in the Pollachi municipality was significantly higher than in the rest of the state, causing public outrage against the ruling DMK.
As an opposition party, the BJP, led by Pollachi town president Paramaguru, took to the streets to protest the property tax hike in the municipality.
To intensify the protest against the property tax hike, various methods such as registering condemnation in public grievances meetings, distributing local newspaper ads against the property tax hike, and disseminating notices throughout the Pollachi municipality comparing the property tax with other municipalities, were used by the local BJP leaders. These efforts of the BJP were reported in the leading news outlet Vikatan. According to an RTI request filed by the BJP leaders in Pollachi, the municipality’s property tax collection was three to four times greater than that of the Avadi corporation.
Taking note of the backlash to the property tax increase, the DMK administration, did a U-Turn and passed another resolution in an emergency meeting of Pollachi municipal councilors on June 8, 2022, to reduce the magnitude of the property tax increase. As a result, the Pollachi Municipality’s property tax increase was reduced by 40%.
It was reported in the Dinamalar and other local newspapers that garbage was thrown in front of shops that failed to pay the increased property hike during the tax hike period.
4. சொத்துவரி கட்டாதவர்களால் தனக்கு வர வேண்டிய கமிசன் கிடைக்கவில்லை என்ற கோபத்தில் அதிகார போதையில் மிதந்த கஞ்சா பாலாஜி @V_Senthilbalaji
சொத்து வரி கட்டாத வீடு & கடை வாசலில் குப்பைகளை கொட்டி வைக்க உத்தரவிட்டார்,அப்படியே செயல்படுத்தி காட்டினார் கொத்தடிமை @Shyamla_Navanee
4/6 pic.twitter.com/Va5MRjdi9v— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) April 6, 2023
Pollachi local administration’s resolution was approved a few days ago by the DMK state government. However, the Pollachi DMK administration, led by Shyamala Navaneethankrishnan, spread half-truths that the DMK government had reduced the property tax rate. But the fact is that the DMK administration has only reduced the increased tax after receiving backlash.
பொள்ளாச்சி நகராட்சியில் உயர்த்தப்பட்ட சொத்து வரியினை குறைத்து வழங்கிய தமிழக அரசுக்கு நன்றி தெரிவிக்கும் பொருட்டு,வரி குறைப்பிற்கு பெருமுயற்சி எடுத்த கோவை மாவட்ட பொறுப்பு அமைச்சர்,மாண்புமிகு மின்சாரம் மற்றும் மதுவிலக்கு ஆயத்தர்வைத் துறை அமைச்சர் அண்ணன் @V_Senthilbalaji அவர்களை, pic.twitter.com/3tk7wrjIoW
— Shyamala Navaneethakrishnan (@Shyamla_Navanee) April 6, 2023
Here are some of the other U-Turns made by the MK Stalin-led DMK Government.
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