The Hindu       09.09.2014   

Property tax for vacant lands in Chennai

Owners of vacant lands in Chennai city will have to pay
property tax similar to the residents of municipalities in other parts
of the State.

To augment its revenue, the Chennai
Corporation has planned to levy property tax on vacant lands on area
basis. The civic body’s Town Planning Section will grant building
approval only after the property tax assessment and payment for the
vacant lands are made by the owner concerned. Municipalities that were
merged with the Chennai Corporation had been collecting the tax for
vacant land following a government order in 2009. After the merger, the
tax was not collected by the corporation. The councils of Town
Panchayats, Third Grade Municipalities and Municipalities that were
merged were also empowered to fix the rate of property tax on vacant
lands that were not used for agricultural purposes. The maximum rate per
square foot in a local body was fixed at 60 paise. The minimum rate was
10 paise, said an official.