Chennai corporation clarifies property tax revision amid complaints
Chennai, Aug 13
The Greater Chennai Corporation has clarified that the revised property tax notices issued to several residents and businesses do not amount to a general tax increase, amid growing complaints over steep assessments.
Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran said the revision applied only to residential and commercial properties found to have been incorrectly assessed or taxed for a smaller built-up area than their actual size.
Discrepancies were detected by comparing Geographic Information System mapping, satellite data, government databases and self-declarations submitted by property owners.
The GIS survey was initiated after the civic body collected self-declaration details in 2018. The information was subsequently cross-verified with existing corporation records.
Officials said nearly 3.5 lakh property owners had not been paying tax on their entire built-up area.
The reassessment was intended to correct such discrepancies and ensure that properties of similar size were taxed uniformly. Property owners who disagree with the revised assessment can file an appeal within 15 days of receiving the notice.
The corporation has assured that objections will be examined and resolved within 30 days. Appeals may be submitted to the Regional Deputy Commissioner concerned or handed over at zonal offices.
Assessors have been directed to receive objection forms and forward them to the appropriate regional authority.
Special camps will be organised if a large number of appeals are received. Operators at the corporation's 1913 helpline have also been instructed to provide clear and accurate information to residents seeking clarification.
The issue has acquired political significance after several property owners complained of substantial increases in their tax demands.
Deputy Mayor Magesh Kumar said the DMK-led council had decided to defer the scheduled annual increase in property tax to avoid placing an additional burden on residents.
He said the council had asked the Commissioner during its previous meeting to seek a special allocation of Rs 2,000 crore from the Tamil Nadu government instead of implementing an increase.
Kumar alleged that the reassessment exercise was carried out without informing the council. Corporation officials, however, maintained that the exercise was necessary because complaints had frequently been received about significant differences in the tax paid by owners of properties with comparable dimensions.
The civic body expects the reassessment to address longstanding disparities and generate around Rs 170 crore in additional annual revenue.
Officials stressed that the revision was aimed at recovering tax on previously unassessed portions of properties rather than imposing a citywide increase.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Classic move by the corporation - call it a "correction" but suddenly my property tax doubles! 😤 My house hasn't changed in 10 years, why now? I understand the need for fairness but they should have phased this out over 2-3 years instead of hitting everyone at once. The timing right before elections is suspicious too.
As a small business owner in T Nagar, I welcome this move. For years the big shops and malls were getting away with paying less while our shop paid more proportionally. Fair taxation is the foundation of a functioning city. Rs 170 crore additional revenue means better roads, better drainage, better civic amenities. The DMK council's opposition is just political posturing.
The appeal process is a joke. I submitted my objection at the zonal office and they told me to come back after 3 weeks. Meanwhile, my neighbors who have connections got their revisions reduced. Meanwhile the corporation expects us to trust the system! 😒
It's a mixed bag. On one hand, they're just correcting what should have been done years ago. On the other, the way they're doing it - without proper public consultation, without informing the council - is clearly in violation of democratic norms. Deputy Mayor Magesh Kumar has a point. If they want to recover Rs 170 crore, do it transparently. What's to hide?
While I appreciate the motive, the execution seems flawed. If 3.5 lakh property owners were underpaying, that means the system itself is broken. Simply sending bills without adequate notice about the basis of calculation will push many
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