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‘Fix time limit to dispose of property tax appeals’
With the end of the current financial year fast approaching and the uncleared anomalies in recent property tax hike galore, the property owners have raised demands to fix a time limit for the officials to respond and dispose of the appeals filed by them.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
“Greater Chennai Corporation had increased the property tax rates with effect from April 2018. While many property owners are yet to receive the demand notices, those who received and appealed against the demand notices are yet to receive any communication,” V S Jayaraman of T Nagar Resident Welfare Association said.
Amid opposition from the property owners, the civic body had increased property tax rates for residential buildings up to 50 per cent and 100 per cent for the commercial buildings. Soon after the civic officials issued demand notices to the property owners, many owners alleged exorbitant increase in the tax rates and appealed against the anomalies.
Meanwhile, property owners, who had filed appeals and are waiting for clarification, are confused whether to pay the tax based on old rates or new rates. “Many reminders to the Corporation officials have gone unacknowledged. Even those who want to pay the property tax after getting the clarification from the Corporation have not been able to make the payment because of this,” Jayaraman pointed out.
Jayaraman also demanded the civic body to fix a certain time limit for the concerned officials to respond on appeals against the property tax hike.
Meanwhile, a Corporation official clarified that the property owners who had filed appeals within the stipulated time period of 15 days could wait until the appeals are heard and resolved. “Despite the stipulated time limit is 15 days, we are accepting appeals even after that. However, property owners who appealed after 15 days should pay their tax based on new rates and the extra tax paid will be adjusted after clearing the anomalies,” the official added.
It is learnt that the civic body has received more than 10,000 appeals from the riled property owners and the officials have disposed of only less than 500 appeals. “Some appeals need site inspection. This will take some time,” the official said.
Corpn yet to issue 40,000 demand notices
Even though the Greater Chennai Corporation commenced issuing property tax hike notices to the 12 lakh properties in the city in September 2018, the civic body is yet to issue demand notices to nearly 40,000 properties. A Chennai Corporation official said that the civic body had generated more than 40,000 demand notices for the 10.5 lakh properties and issued the notices to the owners. Another one lakh demand notices have been issued up to January first week.
“Demand notices to the remaining 40,000 to 50,000 properties have been generated and they will be handed over to the owners within a week. We will accept appeals from these 40,000 to 50,000 owners,” the official added. Meanwhile, the property owners have expressed their discontent over the SMS sent by the Metrowater increasing water and sewerage tax hike proportionate to the property tax hike.
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