BHUBANESWAR: Congress on Sunday threatened to gherao the office of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on March 15, and not allow Housing and Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena to step out of his house, in protest against the steep hike in holding tax. “We request the people of the city not to pay holding tax at the enhanced rate as it is illegal. It has inflicted huge financial burden on the city residents during the Covid-19 pandemic,” former Finance minister Panchanan Kanungo, senior legislator Suresh Routray and senior leader Sibananda Ray told mediapersons here.
The Congress leaders said people of the city should not pay holding tax till the Orissa High Court in which several cases have been filed, delivers its judgement on the issue. The former Finance minister said rate of holding tax has increased by 10 to 20 times. The BMC is collecting holding tax as per benchmark valuation of land instead of the unit value of the area. Besides, the residents should have been made aware beforehand about the hike as per provisions of the Municipal Act, he said.