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Shimla:
Amid uproar over studies that folks in Himachal Pradesh will now be taxed on the quantity of bathroom seats they’ve of their properties, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at this time mentioned that there was no such “bathroom tax” within the state.
Reviews claimed that the Himachal authorities will impose a Rs 25 tax per bathroom seat on residents of city areas. The studies, termed “baseless” by Mr Sukhu, mentioned that out of Rs 100 water cost, the ‘bathroom tax’ can be 25 per cent per residence.
“Earlier than the (meeting) elections, the BJP held a rally in Himachal Pradesh the place they promised free water meters, saying there could be no cost for water consumption. We proposed a subsidy of Rs 100 per household for water, which included five-star resorts as nicely. Solely those that can afford it are paying. There isn’t any such factor as bathroom tax,” the senior Congress chief informed reporters.
“Even huge resort chains have been introduced below the purview of this new tax. These questioning the transfer should perceive the economics first,” he was quoted as saying by the information company IANS.
His response got here after varied BJP leaders, together with Union Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, slammed the Congress authorities.
“Unbelievable, if true! While PM (Narendra) Modi ji builds Swachhata as a folks’s motion, right here is Congress taxing folks for bathrooms! Disgrace that they did not present good sanitation throughout their time, however this step will disgrace the nation,” Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned in a put up on X.
BJP Nationwide Common Secretary Tarun Chugh additionally slammed Congress and mentioned the Himachal authorities is “constantly imposing new taxes and restrictions on the folks”.
“This can be a reflection of the Himachal authorities’s financial chapter, coverage chapter and psychological chapter,” he informed the information company IANS.