The Times of India 03.09.2012
'Big houses to pay more tax'
CHANDIGARH: The city has as many as 6,626 sprawling houses spread over one to eight kanals, whose owners will have to pay more in house tax as compared to those of smaller houses. The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has compiled details of the size and number of houses in the city. There are total 20,655 big houses in the city, having an area of 5, 10, 7.5 and 15 marlas besides one to eight kanal houses. Besides these big houses, there are 49,713 Chandigarh Housing Board houses and their allottees too will have to shell out the cess.
The MC has
gathered these details from the administration and now details of houses
of educational institutes like Panjab University, PEC, besides PGI and
houses of central offices are yet to be received. The MC is collecting
data about number of houses in the city, as part of its groundwork to
impose house tax.
A senior MC official on condition of
anonymity said, "We have gathered the details of big independent houses
and Chandigarh Housing Board houses and flats along with their sizes.
Now the details will be kept before the MC's house tax committee for
discussion to fix a criteria to impose house tax, but one thing is clear
that big houses will have to pay more as compared to small houses and
flats." He said it has still not been decided as to what criteria would
be followed to impose tax, but we feel that the authority will have to
look to formulate their own criteria instead of looking to adopt
criteria of Haryana, which was recently implemented in the state.
M P Kohli, vice-chairman of the MC's house tax committee while taking
to TOI said, "As imposition of house tax has become necessary, therefore
every decision will be taken keeping in view the interests of the city
residents and the MC. While Haryana has imposed house tax, Punjab's
cabinet has approved its imposition and now we are mulling over the
issue. As of now, we are of the view that tax should be imposed on
houses as per their constructed area. The matter will come up in the
monthly meeting of the house tax committee soon for a detailed
discussion." Of late, the Chandigarh administration
has sent reminders to the MC to consider imposing house tax on
residential properties in the city and also revising property tax on
commercial establishments. Not only UT, Government of India has also
instructed the authority in this regard.
