Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration under LG Manoj Sinha on Tuesday ordered the imposition of property tax on the residents of J&K from April 1.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had in October 2020 allowed the J&K administration to impose property tax in Jammu and Kashmir after amending the J&K Municipal Act, 2000 and J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000 through the J&K Reorganisation (Adaption of State Laws) order, 2020.
According to the formula, the property tax will be 5 per cent of Taxable Annual Value (TAV) in residential properties and 6 per cent in the case of non-residential properties.
The TAV of a property will be decided keeping in mind the factors such as the type of the municipality, one-tenth of the land value rate as notified by the government, floor, area, usage, age of the property, slab, other usage type and occupancy.
However, Kashmir unionists called the order 'unjust' stating that such decisions must be taken by an elected government.
Former J&K chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said: “No Taxation Without Representation. Why should people in J&K pay state taxes including the proposed property tax when we have no say in how our government is run & no say in the decision-making of J&K. We are expected to be mute spectators to all unjust decisions by Raj Bhavan,” he tweeted.