The Hindu                       26.02.2013

Corporation to act tough against VLT evaders

G.V.R. Subba Rao

The collection of Vacant Land Tax (VLT) has become a Herculean Task for the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC). As much as Rs. 20 crore VLT arrears are pending as the addresses of vacant land owners are not traceable.

The Corporation could collect about Rs. 4.5 crore per annum during last two years though the total VLT target would be around Rs. 8 crore per annum. There is a slight improvement in the tax collection if Rs. 5.9 crore till date were any indication. There are more than 12,000 VLT assessments in the VMC limits.

The Corporation authorities, in 2009, have put up at least 150 boards across the city, cautioning the owners of vacant lands that their property would be seized if the tax is not paid in time.

The move, expectedly, triggered a lot of hue and cry. But, there was a quantum jump in the tax collection.

Very shortly such notice boards will be put up at vacant lands where the owner’s address is not traceable, officials say. On other hand, the vacant lands, the VMC officials say, were posing health hazards as the owners were not maintaining them properly leading to mosquito breeding etc. The haphazard growth of weed and stagnation of sullage and rainwater in many vacant lands is common sight in the city.

Consequently, the Corporation is again toying with the idea of auctioning the vacant lands that are posing health problems.

The VMC took ‘a calculated risk’ of auctioning the “unclaimed” vacant lands in 2007 when Natarajan Gulzar was Municipal Commissioner, they recall.

“Under the HMC (Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) Act, the Corporation has right to sell the unclaimed vacant lands. The VMC would become the owner of unclaimed vacant lands under the provisions of the HMC Act. Secondly, the owners were not paying the vacant land tax. In addition, the public health is involved in the issue, the officials say.

The Hindu                      23.02.2013 

Get ready, BBMP moves to increase property tax

Staff Reporter 

Gear up to shell out more property tax as the cash-strapped Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is moving to hike the rates.

The proposal is likely to be tabled before the BBMP council next Tuesday. The civic authority also proposes to reorganise the tax zones, besides taking measures to review the rates under the Unit Area Value system.

According to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act 1976, the tax rates may be revised by 15 to 30 per cent every three years, also known as block period. They were due for revision in April 2011, after Self Assessment Scheme was introduced in 2008-09. However, the BBMP council resolved to up the block period to five years and sent it for government approval though it has not heard from the latter yet.

CAG questions

Meanwhile, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) raised objections to the failure to revise tax rates, and sought an explanation, prompting BBMP to reorganise the tax zones and increase the property tax rates.

K.A. Muneendra Kumar, chairperson of BBMP’s Standing Committee for Taxation and Finance, told The Hindu that the subject is being tabled before the council only “for discussion”. “More important than increasing tax rates is the reorganisation of tax zones. For instance, Mahadevapura comes under C tax zone.

Though commercial activities have increased, the tax rate is low. By reorganising the area under a higher tax zone, the BBMP will be able to get more tax from commercial establishments there.”

He insisted that tabling the subject did not mean that the tax would be increased. “The final decision will be taken by the BBMP council.”

‘No moral right’

Opposition Leader M.K. Gunashekar voiced his objection saying that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had failed to develop the city and thus had “no moral right” to even propose increasing the tax rates.

Other sources

“There are many revenue sources that can be strengthened; instead, the BJP is keen on burdening the middle class,” he said. “The BBMP can work on reducing the administrative expenses, increase non-tax revenue such as advertisement tax, collect betterment charges and implement Akrama Sakrama and Optic Fibre Cable (OFC) policy,” he added.