Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Friday refuted reports claiming that the state government had imposed a new ‘toilet seat tax’. He termed such reports as baseless. Sukhu told the media, “We are charging only Rs 100 on every water connection… There is no such thing as toilet tax in Himachal.”
He said, “This is far from the truth. Because there are elections in Haryana, they (BJP) talk about Hindu-Muslim and sewerage, but there is nothing like that. This is absolutely false.”
Earlier, media reports had claimed that the Himachal Pradesh government will reportedly levy a charge of Rs 25 per toilet seat installed in the homes of people living in urban areas.
Responding to media reports, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said of the alleged order, “If this is true then it is unbelievable.”
He said in the post, “Unbelievable, if true! While PM Modi is making cleanliness a mass movement, Congress is taxing people for toilets! It is a shame that he did not do good cleanliness during his time, but this step will bring shame to the country.”
Unbelievable, if true! Whereas PM @narendramodiji, builds Swachhata as a people’s movement, here is@INCIndiataxing people for toilets! Shame that they didn’t provide good sanitation during their time, but this step will shame the country! https://t.co/EPTmOmyufM
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) October 4, 2024
Himachal Water Department also said that it has not issued any such notification.
Jal Shakti Department said, “Our aim is to achieve 100 percent connectivity, so that pollution can be reduced and sewerage treatment can be ensured. The recent notification has been issued only regarding water charges, while everything else remains as before. Will remain the same.”
Some media reports have claimed that people living in urban areas of Himachal Pradesh will be charged tax based on the number of toilet seats in their homes. The Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government has been facing a serious financial crisis for the last few months.