Kochi: Opposition leader V D Satheesan blamed the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala for imposing high taxes and tariffs, and increasing the price burden on citizens.
"The Pinarayi Vijayan regime in Kerala which is celebrating its second anniversary on Saturday is terrorising people by imposing high taxes," alleged Satheesan.
“The government is celebrating by increasing power and water tariffs, imposing an additional cess on petrol and diesel and hiking permit fees for building construction steeply,” he said.
"The government, which has adopted a hostile attitude towards the people, is implementing tax terror in the state,” Satheesan told Manorama News.
According to him, residents of Kerala experiencing scorching summer heat were being further deprived by price rise. “While the government is organising grand events on its anniversary, the common people are suffering. A cess of Rs 2 per litre of petrol and diesel was imposed ostensibly to distribute welfare pensions regularly every month. The government later hiked the power tariff by 6.6% and water charges by up to Rs 500 to steal from these welfare pensioners,” said Satheesan.
The real impact of the fuel cess was all-round inflation, especially of essential items, he said, adding that the government has forced the people to drink black tea by increasing the price of milk by Rs 6 per litre.
“When people were trying to somehow adjust to the overall price surge, the government announced an exponential increase in property tax and permit fees for buildings. The application fee, which was Rs 30 for a 1,200 sq ft house in panchayats, is now Rs 1,000. The permit fee has been increased from Rs 392 to Rs 5,600,” the leader of the opposition pointed out.
"Those who sought to drown all these sorrows with a drink were not spared too. The liquor prices have gone up twice already," he said.
