MCC to seek govt to reduce property tax rate on vacant sites

The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council, in its meeting on Wednesday, resolved to write to the State government to make necessary amendments to the law to reduce the property tax rate on vacant sites/land

The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council, in its meeting on Wednesday, resolved to write to the State government to make necessary amendments to the law to reduce the property tax rate on vacant sites/land.

It decided to urge the government to amend the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976 and the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964 to revise the existing tax rate slab of ‘0.2 (minimum) to 0.5 (maximum).’

Whip in the council and former Mayor Premananda Shetty told the council that many people have complained to the corporation that the existing tax rate on vacant sites is too high. Many are not able to afford the rate. Hence the government should revise the tax rate to reduce the property tax.

Senior Congress councillor and also former Mayor M. Shashidhar Hegde citing an example said that a landowner brought to his notice that earlier he was paying ₹5,000 as property tax for 60 cents of vacant land. Now after the revision for 2023-24 he has to pay ₹60,000.

The council agreed to extend the duration of the contract of Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt Ltd, which is collecting and transporting the solid waste generated in the city, from August 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024 or till the corporation switches over to the new system of handling the garbage on its own.

The seven-year contract of the company ended on January 31, 2022. Later it was extended till January 31, 2023. It was extended again till July 31, 2023 as the corporation was not prepared to switch over to the new system.

Mayor Jayananda Anchan announced that the area development fund of each of the councillor will be hiked from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 75 lakh for 2023-24.