The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BBMP union backs property tax system

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Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

BBMP union backs property tax system

Staff Reporter

‘28 items that were part of SAS have been retained’
‘The cess has been reduced to 24
per cent’

Bangalore: “Don’t get carried away by misleading statements by some groups and organisations on property tax assessment system. It is the same system that the people wanted and moreover the cess has been reduced to 24 per cent from the earlier 34 per cent.”

This is the message given by Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Employees’ Central Association, which on Wednesday came out to support the property tax system introduced by the State Government.

Association president R. Subramanyam and general secretary B.R. Shivakumar told presspersons here on Wednesday that 28 main features that existed in the popular SAS system were part of the present system and only three changes were made to the earlier system.

Reclassification of streets, removal of 2.5 times ceiling on tax limit and bringing telephone towers and advertisement hoardings under the property tax net were the only changes that were introduced in the new system, said Mr. Subramanyam.

As against the 34 per cent cess levied earlier, the BBMP now proposed to levy only 24 per cent cess on the tax amount, Mr. Shivakumar said while pointing out that although the Government proposed to increase tax by 20 per cent, the depreciation factor, 10 per cent reduction in cess and 5 per cent discount on one-time payment will actually reduce the tax burden on citizens.

Taking exception to the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI)’s criticism of the system, the association office-bearers said that FKCCI’s remarks were unfortunate and without basis. The association pointed out that the Government did bring the system in a transparent manner giving sufficient time for the people to give their suggestions and there was no attempt to indirectly introduce capital value system as claimed by the FKCCI and a few others.

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