Higher Property Tax in Outskirts Irks Residents
Hyderabad: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, many residents staying outside Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits but within Outer Ring Road (ORR) said that either uniform property tax should be implemented for the city and its vicinity or their property tax amount should be reduced by re-assessing their properties.
Nizampet, Boduppal, Peerzadiguda and Tellapur are some among scores of localities falling under the purview of the commissioner and director of municipal administration (CDMA), where people complained about paying more property tax compared to upscale areas of the city even though they were not provided basic amenities.
Residents of Nizampet said they are paying more property tax than those in premium localities, but we don’t get adequate drinking water supply and the condition of roads is also bad.
Explaining the anomaly in the property tax, officials of municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) claim that the property tax in GHMC is assessed on annual rental value, while property in the newly-developed areas is taxed on the capital value assessment system linking it with revision of land values.
“For the same amount of built-up area, the property tax being paid by us is more than the ones being paid by those staying in Jubilee Hills,” Sai Teja, a resident of Nizampet.
Ramana Eshwaragari, the president of Tellapur Neighborhood Association, comprising 55 gated communities also complained of inflated property tax, said that only one gated community has drinking water supply while the 55 gated communities are a part of their association.
The colonies undergoing similar issues related to property tax have formed a group to approach political parties.
Meanwhile, dozens of residents from various colonies outside GHMC and within ORR, said that they have no problem with the inflated property tax but demanded that infrastructure should be made available in their localities on par with the GHMC limits.