Kolkata: Calcutta High Court on Friday termed as
"illegal" the valuation process of imposition of property tax
in the urban areas of West Bengal by casual employees.
Justice Soumitra Pal set aside the valuation list of
Burdwan Municipality in accordance with a Supreme Court
judgement, observing that collection of information and data
can only be done by bonafide employees of the municipalities
or employees borrowed from the state government and not casual
workers.
The West Bengal Valuation Board Act provides that the
collection of data for evaluation can only be done by
permanent employees of the municipalities or staff borrowed
from the state government.
Appearing for petitioners Burdwan Municipal Wefare
Committee, which challenged the property valuation by the
municipality, submitted before Justice Pal that data
collection for evaluation was done by casual employees in most
municipalities in West Bengal.
There are 121 municipalities and six municipal
corporations in West Bengal.
The West Bengal Valuation Board Act 1978 had earlier
provided that before preparation of a final valuation list,
there has to be a draft valuation list. After the tax payers
made their comment on the draft valuation, then only the final
list was to be published and then again, there was provision
for review of the final list.
PTI
