Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Mar 1: The government's recent increases in city land prices by 50%, 100%, and even 200% have led to a corresponding surge in self-declared property taxes, ballooning eight to tenfold.

Leena Lasrado, owner of a 12-cent plot on Fifth Cross of M G Road, was startled to find her property tax jump from Rs 848 in 2022-23 to Rs 7227 for fiscal year 2023-24, despite having only a compound wall and no building or connecting road. She has petitioned the mayor for resolution.

Similarly, relatives of former Udupi MP Srinivasa Mallya, owning a house near Car Street Mukhyaprana Temple, saw their property tax spike from Rs 8476 to Rs 40000 for the same period, prompting them to bring the issue to the mayor's attention.

With a standard rule of a 3% annual increase in self-declared property tax, citizens now face a seven to eightfold tax burden due to the government's valuation adjustments.

In Mangaluru, residents are eager to prepay property taxes for fiscal year 2024-25, as discussed in the Mangaluru City Corporation's (MCC) general body meeting on January 31. The objective is to manage tax increments responsibly, ensuring it does not overly burden the public.

Mayor Sudhir Shetty Kannur stated, "While we initially intended a 3% property tax increase, the MCC commissioner has mandated collections based on revised government rates. We will convene with all 60 ward members to address this matter, ensuring fairness to the public."

Although instructions were issued in 2023-24 to collect property tax based on revised market rates, the mayor's recent directive to pre-collect taxes for 2024-25 without considering revised rates contrasts with the MCC commissioner's order to adhere to the updated market values.