The Times of India      04.09.2012

More property tax for those without water connections

Despite protests, NMC had not rolled back the hiked general water tax.According to data with NMC, 1,13,442 of total 4,71,442 taxpayers do not have water connections. The property taxpayers having properties with annual letting value (ALV) between 1-199 will have to pay Rs200 extra as general water tax. The NMC is charging Rs400 for properties with ALV between 200-1,000.The biggest sufferers will be property taxpayers with properties having ALV over 1,000.

They will have to pay 40% more property tax as general water tax. All properties in good localities come under category of ALV over Rs1,000. Slum dwellers and small property holders will come under ALV of 1,000.Very few of the property taxpayers are aware of the hiked general water tax. A senior NMC official said that the general water tax was hiked with effect from April 1, 2009, along with the hike in water tariff. "Water tariff was reduced after public outcry in 2010.

But the hiked general water tax was not reduced and remained as it is. There was a big controversy on the water tariff. Therefore, the property tax department did not levy the hiked general water tax on property holders without water connection. The property tax was also hiked in that period due to introduction of base rate system," he said.The official further said that NMC woke up about the hiked, but unimplemented, general water tax at the end of 2010. "NMC decided to start levying the general water tax according to the revised rates.

Now, NMC has levied the revised general water tax, that too with arrears of two years. There were many complaints from slum dwellers but not from other localities. NMC again levied general water tax according to the hiked rates, since there was no hike in the last fiscal," he said.It would be interesting to see the reaction of property taxpayers after receiving the property tax bills. A citizen from Dharampeth said he was not at all aware of any such revision in the general water tax. "We are using water from our well. Why should we pay 40% more property tax if we are not taking water from NMC," he questioned.