DCC's holding tax

By Md Abdul Jalil, Mirpur, Dhaka
14 September 2004, 18:00 PM
If the self-assessment form is meant for new assesses, as the Mayor has reportedly said, then why distribute it to all house owners, old and new? Moreover, in view of the high price of building materials and exorbitant remuneration of masons and labourers, the tax-allowance of two months' house-rent for maintenance is not justifiable. We all know the government allows one-fourth of the house rent as maintenance for IT payers. If the govt law allows this, why not the DCC?

With the writ hanging over its head the DCC, if it wants to go on with its project of collecting additional revenue from holding taxes, is now left with no other option than to pigeonhole the enhancement drive .

The DCC has no time to lose in its drive for holding tax increase set in motion in July last. September, which is the month for submitting IT return forms and paying income-tax, began two weeks ago and the house-owners will have to state in their income-tax returns how much they have paid as holding-tax to the DCC to enable them to get tax-concessions. This, the house-owners won't be able to do because of the present stalemate.