Hyderabad: A self-assessment by a DC reader has identified discrepancies in the way GHMC calculates property taxes.
Mr Krishna Akula, a resident of Boudhanagar, Secunderabad, found that in many cases there was no uniformity or an unbiased way of assessing tax. He said that for every property there was a new PTIN number allotted by the GHMC.
His own property is 450 sq. ft but according to the GHMC website, it is 1,040 sq.ft, thus making his property tax Rs 4,064. Meanwhile, his neighbour, whose area is also 450 sq. ft, is taxed Rs 1,347. The area corporator’s house located in Boudhanagar Colony, with a plinth area of 1,134 sq. ft, is taxed only Rs 1,588.
Mr Akula said, “The property tax is mainly calculated on residential and commercial bases. For residential, it again depends on deluxe and non-deluxe and the number of levels. However, many residential building owners have given the premises for commercial purposes but are charged residential tax. There is no formula to assess the properties.
“When I complained, the bill collectors threatened me and asked me to pay the tax or double the amount would be collected if the property was assessed again. There are no norms on how properties are assessed and the authorities never inform.”
A Circle 18, town planning officer said, “Property tax is calculated as per the building plan approved by the GHMC; assessment is currently not being done due to lack of manpower. For instance, if an applicant has applied for permission for 1,500 sq.ft and builds only 450 sq. ft, he will be taxed on 1,500 sq. ft. In this case, the person has to request for reassessment.”
