City property tax revision on cards

Chennai: “Our capital investment on infrastructure has gone up from Rs 1,400 crore last year to Rs 2,000 crore this year and most of the expenditure goes on developing infrastructure in the newly added areas as they don’t have amenities like roads, sewers and street lights. We also need to rationalise property tax as we need all this infrastructure,” said corporation Commissioner Vikram Kapur
 Last year, Chennai Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy had also favoured the idea of revising property tax and consented to the revenue authorities exploring the revenue potential from taxes, a corporation revenue official said, adding that several anomalies had mushroomed after the recent merger of local bodies with the city corporation.

Residents in pockets of Alandur and Ambattur are paying more tax when compared to the residents of north Chennai. While the corporation had not revised its tax for more than 15 years, the suburban local bodies, prior to their merger with the civic body, had done so. The corporation had also intensified its drive against top property tax defaulters.

“We have been opposing the concept of property tax revision and also regularising illegal buildings,” said DMK floor leader Subash Chandra Bose. “During the previous DMK regime, funds were obtained from the Centre for infra projects and arrears to the tune of several crores of rupees were collected, but currently, funds are being diverted for freebies and the corporation is now planning to revise the tax.”