The Hindu 16.03.2011
Get ready to pay garbage cess
It should be paid along with property tax from April
Owners or tenants of properties coming within the limits of the Bruhat
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will have to share the costs of solid
waste management with the civic body from April.
Property owners as well as tenants will have to pay solid waste management cess, the rates for which have been announced.
Rising cost
The decision to levy the cess on all properties was
taken in the light of the expenditure the BBMP incurs on solid waste
management: around Rs. 200 crore every year and rising. Separate slabs
have been fixed according to Section 103 (B) of the Karnataka Municipal
Corporations Act 1976, and the cess has to be paid along with the
property tax.
Forms to pay the garbage cess will be given along with
the property tax forms in which owners have to mention the measurement
and type of property they own. Those paying property tax for the full
year can pay the solid waste cess for the whole year too, while those
paying the tax for half the year will have to pay the cess for the same
duration.
The solid waste management cess has to be paid within 60
days from the commencement of the next financial year, failing which
BBMP officials will issue notices. The officials will assess the
property of the defaulters who will then have to pay the cess with
penalty.
‘JNNURM guidelines’
Defending the cess, Mayor S.K. Nataraj said it was being
introduced as per the guidelines of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
However, Janata Dal (Secular) Floor Leader in BBMP
Council Padmanabha Reddy said that collecting it was not mentioned
anywhere in the JNNURM guidelines, and that the BJP was using it as an
excuse to cover up for its maladministration. He added that the cess
will not ensure a cleaner Bangalore.
Mr. Reddy said his party will continue to oppose the
cess. “We had opposed it in the Council, and we will continue to oppose
it. We are planning to start a movement before it comes into effect
after consultation with the party leadership.”
M. Nagaraj, Leader of the Opposition in the BBMP
Council, said the garbage cess was anti-people. “What are people paying
property taxes for? It is all-inclusive. What is the point of collecting
separate taxes for every aspect of property?” he asked.
