Double fine to be imposed by BMC on illegal additions in flats
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will penalise unauthorized constructions or extensions at twice the property tax levied on the entire illegal area. An amendment was made in April 2010, to section 152(a) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888 to accommodate the new structure for calculation of property tax. The announcement was made by Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte while presenting the BMC budget on Wednesday.
It is yet to be decided whether the penalty should be applied from 2014-15 or retrospectively from 2010.
The officials provided an illustration – for a property of 1,200 sq ft flat of which 200 sq ft is constructed illegally, the owner will be asked to pay property tax for 1,600 sq ft. The property tax consists of the additional 200 sq ft, and a penalty that is twice the property tax calculated for the illegal area.
However, levy of penalty and collection of property tax should not be construed as legalization of the illegal property.
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