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August
1, 2000
Kurigram,
July 31 (UNB) – Development activities of the Sadar Pourshava here
remained suspended for the last 17 years for lack of fund and
reluctance of the authority to raise taxes.
Due
to shortfall in revenue earnings there has been no significant
development although it is treated as a second category municipality
for long, a reliable source said.
It
said revenue income dwindled because rates and taxes on homesteads,
business establishments and offices could not be re-fixed during the
last six years.
Sources
said that as the poura authority recently initiated the tax-upgrading
move, it faced vehement opposition from various quarters.
The
Sadar pourashava is already carrying a huge burden of loans, amounting
to about Tk 1 crore, which include electricity bill of Tk 56 lakh,
land development tax of Tk 1.5 lakh, contractors bills amounting to Tk
20 lakh and employees pension bills amounting to Tk 20 lakh.
There
are 70,000 dwellers in the 27.21 skm pourashava established in January
30, 1972. It was upgraded into a second category in July 1, 1994.
Sources
said some 6,077 homesteads and business establishments were brought
under tax net following an assessment in fiscal 1985-86.
An
official of the pourashava preferring anonymity said that due to
political reason the former pourashava chairman did not take any move
to raise taxes. “Rather he is mobilizing town dwellers to foil tax
upgradation by the present authorities,” he alleged.
Meanwhile,
Local Government Ministry in a notification on May 7, this year said
at least 60 percent of the upgraded taxation have to be recovered
otherwise all sorts of development activities would be stopped.
The
new pourashava chairman Abdus Sobhan said the newly imposed rates and
taxes would create some fund for execution of the development schemes,
improvement of civic amenities provided those are realized in time.
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