Guwahati, May 22: Ahead of the civic polls in June, a leading citizens’ rights forum has submitted a memorandum to the Guwahati Municipal Corporation demanding removal of the system to ascertain urban property tax that was put in place in 2008 and instead introduce the unit area method.

Guwahati Sanmilit Nagarik Adhikar Mancha also demanded withdrawal of the circular that was issued in 2008.

“Under the system put in place in 2008, the value of land was increased by 200 to 600 per cent which had a cumulative effect on the tax fixed. This, we feel, is anti-people and, if not rectified, may even prompt those unable to pay the hiked tax to leave the city,” the chairman of the citizens’ rights forum, Hiren Gohain, told reporters here today.

“We had submitted a memorandum to GMC commissioner Kavitha Padmanabhan today requesting her to withdraw the circular. However, with elections round the corner, the commissioner said any change made now would violate the model code of conduct,” Gohain said.

The unit area method of property tax, being implemented in places such as Delhi, Ahmedabad, Patna, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad since 2004 is a significant reform in the administration of property tax laws.

The method has been designed to be citizen-friendly and transparent.

Under the unit area method, land is classified into three groups — principal road, main road and others, including bylanes. Likewise, property is divided into buildings, pucca houses with CI sheet roof, thatched houses. The area of location is divided into commercial, residential, commercial-cum-residential and others.

“The annual rental value (ARV) is thereafter ascertained by multiplying the carpet area (square feet) with the rent fixed as per the land, property and location. In a place like Patna, a citizen pays just 6.5 per cent of ARV unlike in Guwahati, where we have to pay 23.5 per cent of ARV because of the high land value,” adviser to the forum, Benudhar Baruah, said.

The citizens’ forum, while mooting amendment to the municipal act, which it says leaves ample scope for exploitation of the tax-paying citizens, also slammed the corporation for its inability to supply adequate drinking water.

“Citizens still have to buy water on a regular basis despite paying tax. Now with agencies such as Japan International Cooperation Agency and Asian Development Bank funding water supply schemes that are implemented by the GMDA, the rate of water tax will only go up. So, we call upon the authorities not to allow such agencies to manage water supply and instead bring the schemes under the municipal corporation,” Gohain said.

Besides, the forum alleged that the laws under the Jal Board, constituted in 2009 to look after water supply in the city, are yet to be made transparent.