BJP leader Arun Jaitley today charged his Congress rival Capt Amarinder Singh with introducing the system of levy of property tax in Punjab.
"On December 8, 2006 just before the Model Code of Conduct for February, 2007 elections were to be announced, Punjab Government headed by Amarinder Singh and Amritsar Municipal Corporation led by its Mayor Sunil Datti entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Centre, accepting all conditions imposed by Congress-led UPA for giving grants to Punjab under Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission," said Jaitley, who is locking horns with Amarinder.
The BJP leader claimed that a handwritten note signed by the Centre, Punjab Government and the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar stating that "subject to commitments given by the Government of Punjab vide the Chief Secretary's letter dated December 2006. This sentence was interpolated by hand in the MOU."
The letter of the Chief Secretary of Punjab dated December 7, 2006 itself committed to the Central Government that "the Government of Punjab would modify the existing rates of user charges of water supply and sewage as well as, put in place, a new system of taxation of municipal properties latest by June 30, 2007 in all municipalities specially those covered under JNNURM," he said.
After taking over the Government in 2007, the SAD-BJP government deferred the implementation of this proposal by at least six years since they were an imposed, he said.
Jaitley questioned is it not true that Amarinder heading the Punjab Government in 2006 and Sunil Datti heading the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar, who are responsible for having initiated, committed this new system of levy of Property Tax?