Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government of Himachal Pradesh is now preparing to collect toilet seat tax in the state. People will now have to pay tax based on the number of toilet seats present in their homes. The state government has issued a notification regarding this.
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government of Himachal Pradesh is now preparing to collect toilet seat tax in the state. People will now have to pay tax based on the number of toilet seats present in their homes. In fact, the state government, which is facing financial crisis, has recently issued a notification in this regard.
The government notification related to sewerage and water bills states that people living in urban areas will have to pay a fee of Rs 25 for each toilet seat built in their home. This additional fee along with the sewerage bill will be transferred to the account of Jal Shakti Department. The government notification states that the sewerage bill will be 30 percent of the water bill.
According to the notification, people who use water from their own source and only use sewerage connection from the government department will have to pay a fee of Rs 25 per toilet seat every month. The department has issued orders regarding this to all the divisional officers. Earlier, water bills were not issued in the hill state.
The BJP government had announced that if it came to power, free water would be provided. But the Sukhu government of Himachal Pradesh has now ordered to issue water bill of Rs 100 per month on every connection. It has started from October. Those living in urban areas may have to bear the brunt of these new government charges.
This is because people usually build multiple toilets in their homes and now a fee will be charged on each toilet seat. There are a total of 5 Municipal Corporations, 29 Municipalities and 17 Nagar Panchayats in Himachal Pradesh, which together have a total population of about 10 lakh people. The new order of the government is expected to affect a large population of the state.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala has attacked Congress regarding toilet tax. He said, ‘Wherever Congress came, it brought inflation and destruction. Now in Himachal Pradesh, after bankrupting the state with its promises, we are seeing how people are being continuously taxed. Even the Congress party did not spare the toilet. Congress party makes a lot of promises, but they never fulfill them. They just bankrupt the states and impose such taxes.
