CHENNAI: A rather sudden unauthorised rise in property tax bills in merged areas of the Chennai Corporation is bothering hundreds of residents.
Even as tax collectors in the newly-merged areas pointed to “doubling of property tax” based on a hand book issued by the Chennai Corporation, senior officials denied such reports on revision of tax.
Residents explain that while under the panchayat limit, they used to pay property tax annually.
The Corporation’s method of valuing property tax, on the other hand, is for six months.
So, in a year, they collect two payments from city residents. But local tax collectors, instead of splitting the annual amount in two, have begun collecting twice the tax amount.
Secretary of Federation of Okkiam Thoraipakkam Residents Welfare Associations S. Swaminathan said the tax collectors were forcing residents to pay additional tax for the past two weeks.
“I have been asked to pay Rs. 550 as property tax. We have been paying Rs. 275 once a year before the merger. Even after the merger, we paid the same amount in 2011,” said Mr. Swaminathan.
Residents are protesting against officials who demand more tax in many neighbourhoods.
“The corporation tax collectors said the revised property tax has been implemented with effect from 2011. Many residents have also gone ahead and paid arrears for the past four years,” said B. Kannan, resident of Murugesan Nagar.
Anand Nagar Welfare Association secretary A. Francis said officials have failed to create awareness among residents on such issues. Glitches in computerisation of property tax data also intensifying the problems.
A senior official of Chennai Corporation said the residents who have paid more tax have to make representation to the assistant revenue officer in their zone.
“The tax collectors are not authorised to collect more tax,” said the official.
