Govt directs ULBs to increase taxes to pay salaries of cleaners

Mysuru: The cost of business and other activities in urban areas across the state is likely to increase in the coming days, with the state govt directing the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to collect user fees and cess on bulk waste producers, among other charges, to pay for the salaries of cleaners and loaders recruited under special rules of 2021.State govt also directed the ULBs to improve their tax collection to bear the additional burden of paying the revised salaries for its employees under the 7th Pay Commission.According to the two orders sent to all the ULBs in this regard, the state govt advised the concerned authorities to generate funds locally to bear these additional expenses. "The ULBs are advised to use State Finance Commission (SFC) Grants, or 15th Finance Commission Grants, or mobilise their own resources to bear this additional burden," explained sources in the urban development department.Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) former mayor M Shivakumar criticised state govt for these two directions to the ULBs. "These two directions reveal that the state govt has no funds to release to the ULBs. It now wants the ULBs to charge more from their residents. It is nothing, but exploitation of the people," he alleged.SFC can't be used to pay the salary of ULB employees.Shivakumar alleged that currently, there is no money in the state govt to take up welfare schemes. That is why it is trying to shift its responsibilities onto the ULBs, he charged.Hotel Owners' Association president C Narayana Gowda stated that currently, the ULBs are collecting seven different kinds of cess from business establishments. "New cess proposals will definitely kill the business. Govt must withdraw these two orders immediately," he said.