Bhopal’s minister for urban development and housing, Bhupendra Singh, has recently announced that the market tax, known as Tehbazari in Madhya Pradesh, should not be collected on a daily basis, but instead, half yearly or annually. The minister has also directed municipal corporation commissioners and chief municipal officers to avoid collecting the tax through contractors.
Following a recent announcement by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who expressed the intention of abolishing the contractual practice in daily collection and recovery of market taxes, the minister is hoping to put an end to what seems to be an unfair and unnecessary practice.
The minister further suggested that in the urban bodies where contracts have been assigned for daily market tax collection, steps should be taken to cancel the contracts for the remaining period after assessing the income received by them. He also insisted that information about such action should be sent to the commissioner of urban administration and development within the given time limit.
This new change is believed to bring relief to small business owners and hawkers who regularly face challenges and difficulties in collecting taxes on a daily basis.
It’s worth noting that this move is unlikely to affect the government’s tax revenue since the market tax on small businesses and hawkers is usually low. The move is expected to streamline the collection process and alleviate some of the burdensome daily tasks carried out by contractors.
In conclusion, this new decision has been well received by many small business owners and hawkers in the region, who are grateful for the change, which is expected to make their lives easier, while still meeting their obligation to pay market taxes in a timely and efficient manner.
