Mumbai property tax can be paid as per old rates till March
The new capital value based tax system which was being objected by the citizens all this while, has been given an extension of two months grace period. The citizens can now pay as per the old rates up to March this year.
The residents have to visit the assessor and collector department at the local ward office in Mumbai, get an objection letter signed and pay the tax at old rates till March 31.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made the announcement clear in a recent residents meet at Chembur. More than 150 citizens from Chembur signed a letter protesting the new property tax rules and demanding more time to pay bills.
Around 18,500 complaints have been received in the last two months objecting the new tax system. With arrears due for the last three years, many residents are finding it difficult to pay the large amount of the tax.
After the announcement, the civic body is yet to extend the property tax payment dateline by two months.
Also, with the increasing protests from the citizens of Maharashtra against new property tax system, a demand for a stay on the regime has now been made to the state government. An MP from North Mumbai has asked the state CM to order a stay on the same.
The current tax rate took three years to get finalised by the civic body, but has given barely three weeks to respond to the property tax bills of properties in Mumbai.
But with the new property tax system in place, BMC is yet to frame guidelines to decide on weightages needed for calculation of the tax. For buildings with multiple-age and construction types, deciding on the weightages is one of the crucial parameters for calculation of the tax.
Furthermore, BMC has planned to give health insurance of up to Rs 3 lakh for those citizens who have paid property tax this year. A whopping property tax of Rs 2,156 crore has been collected this year, contributed by about 15 lakh owners of properties in Mumbai.
As per a draft proposal prepared by the BMC’s health department, middle class property tax payers may have to borrow money or sell assets to pay for private hospitals. The scheme is called Shiv Arogya Suraksha Kaavach which aims at providing cashless cover of up to Rs 3 lakh to all family members of property tax payers.
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