A puzzle indeed. Certainly not a populist move, since most people pay a paltry sum for annual house tax. The older the home, the lower the tax. In my village, most homes pay less than Rs. 100/- per annum in house tax. In US or Canadian dollars that would be less than 2 Dollars per year. Newer homes of course pay based on the cost of construction, so the tax could amount to several thousand rupees per year. Still, a paltry sum, for anyone who can afford a new flat or home. Goa does not have a system of assessments, where homes are assessed & house tax based on the current value of their homes rather than the historical cost.. Of course the Panchayats or Municipalities could make exceptions for the elderly or low income folks living in those older homes. But anyone buying an older home should pay the current assessed value rather than a tax based on the ridiculous historical cost. Now why would the incoming Government decide to abolish house tax ? There is most likely more to this move than meets the eye. Facing a substantial house tax bill for my relatively new home, I have decided to wait and see. If I were to go to my Panchayat to pay the house tax they would probably accept the money. If at a later date the house tax is in fact abolished, fat chance of my getting a refund ! It would be interesting to see how this pans out................
