CHITTAGONG, Nov 7: Holding tax imposition has divided the Chittagong Awami League into two rival camps as Ctg AL President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and General Secretary AJM Nasir Uddin, along with their supporters, have entangled in an unpleasant debate on the issue.
Even in the educational institutions like Chittagong University, student wing of AL, Chhatara League, has been divided into two groups following Mohiuddin and Nasir.
Accordingly, the activists of the other front organizations like Sramik League, Juba League have been divided on their leaning to President and General Secretary.
AJM Nasir Uddin is the Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) who has imposed new types of holding taxes on the city people.
A platform titled, 'Chittagong Tax Payer Protection Council has been formed with Amir Uddin, an Associate Professor of the Chittagong University's Institute of Education Research (IER) as the chief. He is also the general secretary of Chattagram Kordata Surokkha Parishad which is backed by the AL President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
The Tax Payer Protection Council has been agitating against the newly imposed holding tax. The parishad has recently announced to lay siege of the CCC Office on December 4.
On Sunday last, a group of Chhatra League activists of CU threatened Amir Uddin for his activity against the holding tax reassessment programme. One of them allegedly asked him to stop agitation programme on holding tax and pulled out a gun and pointed it to his head.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the same group laid siege programme on the CU campus against the teacher to dismiss him from the service. They alleged that the appointment of Amiruddin is illegal. So, they demanded an immediate dismissal of theteacher. They also stormed into the Registrar Office and damaged several vehicles on the campus. The siege continued for three hours, when the CU management assured them of probe into the incident.
According to CU sources, two probe committees have been constituted, one for appointment of the teacher and the other for the attack on Amir Uddin.
The CU campus became tense over the issue.
Meanwhile, the City Mayor Nasiruddin has been regularly disposing the complaints filed by the house owners satisfactorily that had started since October 29 last. AJM Nasiruddin said that seven more appeal board would be set up to dispose the appeals as early as possible. The Review Appeal board will conduct the hearings of the appeals filed by the 46,000 house owners of port city.
City Mayor also threatened the house owners that the properties of the defaulters would be attached. He announced this decision in a meeting held with the 22 Mahalla Sarder Committees on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the officials concerned of the CCC had started the 'Five-yearly Tax Evaluation Programme,' last year as per City Corporations Rules, 1986 and local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009. The assessment had concluded on August 31 last which was approved in the General Meeting on the same date. It may be mentioned that the total numbers of the holdings of Chittagong City had increased to 185,248 as per new assessment and the total amount of taxes had increased to taka 851.30 crore. Meanwhile, the council has asked the house owners again to refrain from filing appeals in the Review Board. The organization announced the decision in a meeting held recently. The executive committee of the Chittagong City Awami League, in which the Mayor is General Secretary, has been resisiting the newly assessed tax.
Earlier, the tax payers paid their taxes based on per square foot of a structure.
But presently, the city corporation had introduced a new rule, on which taxes will be assessed on the basis of rent of an establishment. As per new rules, the amount of taxes has increased excessively.
They said, earlier CCC had fixed holding tax based on total square feet of any home. Now it has been fixed on house rent which has suffered house owners a lot.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued to the Press on Monday, former Mayor of CCC Mohiuddin Chowdhury alleged that the City Mayor had been disposing of the complaints illegally. He also termed the imposition of new holding tax as illegal. So, he asked the City Mayor to stop the new holding tax. Otherwise he threatened to wage a greater movement against the Mayor in cooperation of the City people.
