Rose Fernandes wrote:
Should a change in the law occur and our community who live abroad are not
allowed to buy further land or property in Goa and further are charged a tax to
hold what they already have, it will be "crunch" time or "decision" time for
all NRI Goans.
They can either chose to
1. Return to their homeland and contribute to the local economy
2. Not return to their homeland and still contribute to the local economy (by
way of a nominal tax)
3. Contribute nothing by saying goodbye to their property and land in Goa.
Response:
1. The small number of East African Goans from UK who spend their winter in Goa
do not constitute "All NRI Goans." The bulk of NRI Goans live in the Gulf. Many
of them work for years and generations away from Goa, and as a result cannot
show 25 years or even 5 years of continuous residency in Goa. During their long
tenure away, they squirrel away money to buy flats or build homes so that they
may have homes to live in when they do return. It is ridiculous to ask them to
return to their homeland and contribute to the local economy. For those
unacquainted with economics, they are called "invisible exports." They not only
contribute to the economy but in Goa's case virtually sustain it.
2. The tax proposed is not nominal. It is hefty. The objective of the tax is
not only to collect revenue; it is to act as a deterrent and a mechanism to
control housing costs. Unfortunately it is ill-defined and ambiguous. Should an
East African Goan who spends six months of his time in Goa be penalised at the
same rate as a Delhiite who buys a holiday home and spends two weeks at
Christmas? Will a non-occupancy tax really bring more housing into the market
or should this tax have been linked to some other criteria such as sale price,
etc?
3.It is the birth and moral right of diasporic populations to retain their
cultural roots with their homeland. The Jews do it and so do the Greeks. Asking
them to sever their links is diabolic and immoral.
I sincerely wish people would put more thought into their arguments.
Best,
selma
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