Mangalore: Property Tax in City Hiked by 15 Percent

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)

Mangalore, Mar 31: Henceforth, taxpayers in the city will have to shell out 15 percent more on their properties than what they do now.

Announcing this hike on property taxes at a press meet here on Thursday March 31, mayor Praveen Anchan said that the move came about following a revision of properties taxes under the self-assessment scheme (SAS), in accordance with the Karnataka Municipal Act.

The hike will be in immediate effect. However, those paying the tax by April 31 will be awarded 5 percent discount. Taxpayers have time till June, but a delay till July will invite a penalty of 2 percent.

Elaborating further, MCC commissioner KN Vijayprakash said that Rs 10 will be charged as solid waste management cess on buildings less than 1,000 sq ft in area, while those measuring 1,000-3,000 sq ft will be taxed Rs 30 per month and building with areas more than that will be taxed Rs 50 per month.

Commercial complexes of 1,000-5,000 sq ft will be charged Rs 100, and those with an area of more than 5,000 sq ft will have to pay Rs 200 per month. Tax will also be levied on industrial setups measuring 1000 sq ft (Rs 100), 1000-5,000 (Rs 200) and above 5,000 sq ft (Rs 300) per month.

For hotels, wedding halls and hospitals, the taxes will be Rs 300 for areas less than 10,000 sq ft, Rs 500 for those between 10,000-50,000 sq ft and Rs 1,000 for those above 50,000 sq ft.

The cess will be utilised for various development projects across the city. Already, 17 out of the 24 parks in the city have been upgraded, the commissioner said.

The annual expenditure of solid waste management stands at Rs 12 crore, but the projected income amounts to only Rs 3.5 crore, he said, and added that the deficit is being made good through other sources of income.