1 yr on, owners wait for property tax rectifications

Almost a year after the Greater Chennai Corporation revised property tax rates for more than 12 lakh buildings in the city, several building owners, who filed appeals against the revision and sought reassessment, are still waiting for rectificationof anomalies.

In a petition sent to the Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash and Joint Commissioner R Lalitha, T Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association pointed out that many building owners had appealed against the revision during October 2018 and they are yet to hear from the Corporation.

“Notwithstanding their willingness to pay the property tax, the residents are unable to make the payment due to official apathy. The civic body should expedite the disposal of the appeals,” the association urged.

Meanwhile, VS Jayaraman of the association alleged that even though the civic body claims that it revised the tax rates for the financial the year 2018-19, tax rates for some properties were hiked for the year 2017-18, too. However, the official clarified that the tax rates were reassessed for buildings for which the rates wereunder-assessed.

The civic body implemented the property tax revision in September 2018, with a retrospective effect from April 2018. Building owners, who had paid the property tax before the revision, were told to pay the difference amount separately. For residential buildings, the tax rate was increased by 50 per cent and for the commercial buildings, 100 per cent hikewas implemented.

Even as the officials issued property tax demand notices to residents intimating the tax hike for their buildings, several residents alleged that the tax was increased by more than 50 per cent. Requesting corrections, more than 10,000 appeals were sent tothe civic body.

While confirming that appeals are pending, a Corporation official refused to disclose the number of pending appeals. “The appeals are being cleared at respective regional offices. Appeals ought to be disposed of only after holding a hearing with the property owners concerned. Some building owners fail to appear for the hearing and such petitions are pending with us. We have taken steps to dispose of all the appeals before October. The delay was due to election works,” he added.

The civic body also has taken steps to levy a penalty against the owners who fail to pay the tax within 15 days and to give incentives for the owners whopay on time.