Tax-paying citizens in Patna feel basic civic services should be extended to them first before subjecting them to more financial burdens.

The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) proposal to double the holding tax rates across the city has hardly gone down well with the residents.

“The government seems to have nothing else left in its agenda than to keep on increasing the financial burden on people. The common man is already striving hard to cope with hike in prices of petroleum products, including diesel and LPG. We would now need to cough up more for staying in our own houses. If the civic body wants to increase its revenue why can’t it be done without harassing the masses?” said Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Patna City.

“I have come to know that the PMC is outsourcing the task of garbage management to another government agency (Bihar Urban Services Corporation Limited, a special purpose vehicle of Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation). The PMC also earned many a rap from the Patna High Court quite frequently in matters related to waterlogging and other sanitation activities. I would like to ask the PMC officials that if they are not able to provide such basic municipal services in the city then on what grounds they seek more holding tax from citizens?” asked Ritesh Sinha, a resident of Mandiri.

The civic body, however, claimed that the hike in holding tax is inevitable as rates in Patna are far lower than the average property tax rate across the country.

“The national average for property tax is Rs 486 per person but the same in Patna is Rs 126 only. We have revised the holding tax structure according to the directives of the urban development department. Moreover, the proposal is still to be approved by the PMC board, after which it would go to the urban development department for the final approval,” said a senior PMC official.

The PMC standing committee gave its nod for hike in the holding tax twice the present rate at a meeting on Sunday.

“Technically, the annual rental values (ARV) for different categories of houses on three categories of streets in the city is proposed to be raised twice than their existing value. For instance, the existing ARV for a fully commercial house having reinforced concrete roof on a principal road (a road that has municipal water supply pipeline) is Rs 54 per square feet. In the new format, it will be Rs 108,” said the PMC official.