If there is shortage of funds then Centre should come forward, rather than burdening the citizens.

Pawan Kumar Bansal, Former Union Minister and former city MP, Pawan Kumar Bansal has come down on the decision to hike property tax by 10% by the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh. He said that the increase in property tax will unjustly burden the citizens. The General House of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation had on Wednesday approved a 10 per cent hike in property tax.

Bansal said that sewage cess in the water bill is already being paid by the citizens. Addition of one more tax would be just burdening the residents of Chandigarh. He said that humungous amount in excise duty and road taxes are also being paid by the citizens and even the petroleum prices were not reduced when the international oil prices had seen a sharp fall. In such a situation, it is very unjust to impose another tax and shall burden the citizens, he said.

The former MP also said that if the Civic body is in shortage of funds then centre should be made aware of the issue as UT is directly administered by the Centre, which should release necessary funds. He added that institutions are also being made to starve even when centre had this week only boasted of GST collections of Rs. 92,000 crore.