The Hindu 26.01.2010
Property tax revised yet again
Staff Correspondent
| The corporation council approved the latest revision on Monday |
Survey of traders in the city to be launched
SHG to be involved in a campaign
for SAS
OPPOSITION: Congress members raising objection to a proposal of the city corporation during the meeting in Mangalore on Monday.
MANGALORE: The Mangalore City Corporation has revised the rates of property tax under the self-assessment scheme (SAS) for the third time. It had revised the rates for the second time last month.
The corporation council in its meeting on Monday approved the latest rates. However, the new rates will come into effect only after the Government’s approval.
According to the latest revision, residential buildings will have to pay 0.5 per cent of the value as tax while commercial buildings have to pay 1.5 per cent of the value. At present, the rates stand at 0.6 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.
Third category
Under the existing system, the rate of tax for commercial/non-residential buildings is 2 per cent. However, under the latest revision, this category has been changed to non-residential/non-commercial buildings and the tax has been reduced to 1 per cent.
Vacant sites
The civic body has retained the tax rates on vacant sites. Accordingly, the tax rate for vacant sites measuring up to 1,000 sq. m will be 0.1 per cent; between 1,000 sq. m and 4,000 sq. m, 0.025 per cent; and above 4,001 sq. m, 0.01 per cent.
Survey
The council approved a proposal to conduct a survey on the number of traders in the city operating without licence and those not having renewed their licences. It agreed to hand over the survey work to a Stree Shakti sangh (self-help group). However, the Opposition Congress objected to this proposal.
K.N. Vijayaprakash, Commissioner of the corporation, told the council that the civic body had issued licences to 17,188 traders. The annual revenue from them should have been Rs. 78.6 lakh. But, the civic body had collected only Rs. 19 lakh so far this year.
He said that according to an estimate, there were about 24,000 to 25,000 traders in the city now. Many of them had either not obtained licences or had not renewed them.
The corporation could realise at least Rs. 1.5 crore a year as licence fee if the authorities took prompt action against evaders, Mr. Vijayaprakash said.
The Commissioner said that the Standing Committee on Public Health, Education and Social Justice could decide on the remuneration for self-help groups (SHGs).
Walkout
The council decided to utilise the services of a Stree Shakti group for a campaign on payment of property tax under the SAS. Mayor M. Shankar Bhat said that although the SAS came into effect from April 1, 2008, many people had not paid the taxes. The campaign was aimed at motivating them to pay taxes, he said.
Remuneration
Mr. Vijayaprakash said that the Standing Committee on Taxation, Finance and Appeals could decide the remuneration for the Stree Shakti groups in this regard.
The Congress and other Opposition members, who opposed this proposal of the corporation, staged a walkout.
