Andhra govt imposes ₹1,000 crore house tax on urban dwellers: CPI(M)

The government has broken its promise to overhaul the property tax system, says CPI(M) leader Ch. Babu Rao. | Photo credit: File Photo

CPI(M) State Secretariat Member Ch. Babu Rao on Thursday alleged that the Andhra Pradesh government has imposed an additional house tax of nearly ₹1,000 crore on urban residents and is continuing the property-based tax system introduced by the previous YSRCP government.

Addressing the media at the party office, Mr. Babu Rao, along with the party’s district secretariat member B. Satya Babu, alleged that the government had broken its election promise to revise the wealth tax system.

He argued that a property tax based on capital value has resulted in residential taxes increasing by at least 15% each year. He claimed that the cumulative increase over six years had reached 131.% The Coalition government had further increased the burden by 30% this year, he said.

The CPI(M) leader claimed that the burden would fall indirectly on both tenants and property owners. He claimed that fines ranging from 25% to 100% were levied for alleged breaches of building regulations and that a late payment penalty of 24% was levied.

Mr. Babu Rao claimed that the government plans to reintroduce waste charges in the form of user charges after the municipal elections through GO 673. He said the ordinance could also facilitate leasing of municipal property for up to 99 years and privatization of civic services.

He claimed that tenders have already been floated to hand over internal roads in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam to private agencies under the Public Private Partnership model.

He demanded that in addition to the repeal of GO 673, the property value tax system, the relevant amendment and GO 198 should be abolished. He urged the people to make tax burden, civic amenities and privatization key issues in the upcoming municipal elections.

He warned that the CPI(M) would launch another round of agitation if the government failed to withdraw the increased house tax and plans to reintroduce garbage charges.

Published – 18 Sep 2026 10:28 IST