Request to scrap the NA Tax in the State - Reference to our earlier letter dated March 24, 2022 on the same subject.

 Satark Nagrik Foundation ®

102, Ekvira Apartment, Uthalsar, Thane West 400601 email: dayanandnene@gmail.com

February 10, 2023

The Hon. Chief Minister,

Govt of Maharashtra,

Mantralaya,

Mumbai.

Sub: Request to scrap the NA Tax in the State - Reference to our earlier letter dated March 24, 2022 on the same subject.

Respected Sir,

NA Tax is the assessment fixed on any land under the provisions of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC), 1966 to the use of land for non-agricultural purposes. The State Government has been levying and collecting NA Tax from various landholders in Maharashtra since the British Era.

Under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966, the NA tax is imposed in the areas earlier marked as agricultural outside gaothans, where there is non-agricultural activity, and is levied over and above the property tax. 

This tax was negligible until February 2008, but the state government through a notification in 2009 decided to link it with the ready reckoner rate, which is decided by the government as per the market value.

So, the bills received in 2009 were largely inflated.

Since then, various State Governments, on the request from people have stayed the collection of this tax on different occasions. The last such stay was granted in 23rd March, 2022 last year.

Sir, the  NA tax is arbitrary, leads to inequality and is misuse of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code and the Maharashtra Town Planning Act.

We pray that entire NA tax should be abolished, as it is unconstitutional, where the state itself changes the usage of land from agriculture to non-agriculture, under the ambit of development activities like residential, industrial, commercial growth in urban, metro cities of Maharashtra, by approving the Development Plan.

It is very evident from the knee jerk reaction of the state government on March 22, last year,  wherein the revenue minister had to announce a stay on the NA tax and subsequent announcement to appoint a committee to make changes in rules and regulation for the levying NA tax in areas that were recognised as agricultural zones, but used later for developmental purposes like residential, commercial and industrial set up. 

Moreover, the Revenue Minister had announced only staying NA tax of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, but not across the state of Maharashtra, which leads to inequality for residents of those areas.

Our plea is to abolish the entire NA tax, itself, as it is an arbitrary decision of the government to tax common man.

Regards,

For Satark Nagrik Foundation ®

Dayanand Nene

President