Vizag residents protest against proposed hike in property tax

Representatives of Visakhapatnam Apartment Residents’ Welfare Association (VARWA) staged a protest against the proposed hike property tax at the GVMC Gandhi Statue in Visakhapatnam on 28 May 2025. They also released a pamphlet with a list of their demands and informed that the pamphlets will be distributed across all residential areas and apartment complexes to create more awareness.

The VARWA President N Prakash Rao, Secretary BB Ganesh, and NIVAS (Greater Visakha Resident Colony Association Federation) General Secretary Pitta Narayana Murty spoke about the situation. They stated that the proposed policy should be stopped, as the government has promised a resurvey to review the property tax. They further elaborated that the practice of calculating tax based on the market price should be abolished and to reinstate the old rental value-based system.

Many Residential Welfare Associations have submitted thousands of petitions to the Chief Minister to abolish the property tax. The people from VARWA have sent 300 more petitions on Wednesday along with a memorandum to Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao at the GVMC mayor office.

Through a survey of properties in town, the Chief Minister directed the municipalities and corporations in the state to collect an additional 20% property tax. In accordance to this, the municipal administration department released a circular on May 14th. The shift in the tax system from house to property tax has resulted in the increase in the tax over the past five years. “We strongly urge the increase in property tax imposed on the basis of the survey,” alleged VARWA.

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