MARGAO
The citizens’ campaign against the Margao Municipal Council’s (MMC) tax and fee hikes gained strong support as Fatorda Forward councillors demanded a rollback on Monday. They also called for action to stop revenue leakages.
Two days after Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai backed the citizens’ protest, party-backed councillors submitted a memorandum to MMC Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz, urging the council to withdraw the fee hikes. The Chief Officer later told the media that he would present the memorandum to the Chairperson for a decision.
The memorandum strongly opposed the proposed increase in service fees, including trade licences, construction permits, sanitation fees, and other municipal charges.
The councillors argued that these hikes place an unfair and heavy financial burden on law-abiding citizens and must be reversed immediately.
They highlighted concerns about mismanagement and inefficiencies within the MMC, as revealed in a recent audit report and public complaints.
“The audit report for 2023-24 exposes major revenue leakages and financial lapses, including failure to collect taxes and fees, leading to arrears worth crores of rupees,” the memorandum stated.
The memorandum also pointed out that the MMC had failed to implement the GIS Survey report, resulting in a revenue loss of ₹20 crore. It noted that total revenue arrears for 2023-24 stood at a staggering Rs 36.83 crore, with no effective recovery system in place.
Regarding illegal businesses, the memorandum stated that the MMC detected 141 unlicensed establishments in 2023-24. However, despite issuing show-cause notices, it remains unclear whether these businesses were brought under the tax system.
The councillors called the proposed fee hike—ranging from 66% to 550%—unjustified, saying it places an unnecessary burden on citizens, small businesses, traders, and middle-income families. They argued that the MMC should first address revenue leakages and bring illegal businesses into the tax system before increasing fees.
The delegation urged the municipal body to take strict measures to recover unpaid taxes, regulate illegal businesses, and implement the audit report’s recommendations.
