Representative image | Photo: Mathrubhumi
Thiruvananthapuram: The Government plans to levy property tax and double taxation on illegally constructed buildings within city limits until they are given a special legal number (UI) or being demolished. The new tax directive is part of the guidelines for resource mobilization for cities in the 14th Five Year Plan.
The details of the buildings included in the data bank of the local bodies will be verified by on-site inspection. If any irregularities are found, the property tax will be revised. Further, those buildings exempted from the limits set for tax assessment will be identified and taxed with the help of the engineering department. Kudumbasree workers would likely assist the officials in the field inspection.
Meanwhile, an ordinance will be issued by the state government, that will allow ownership of extra land found during resurvey to the owner. The land will be handed over to the owner by charging him a fixed fee based on fair value of the land. Currently, there are no provision for reclamation of excess land found. Earlier, the law only allows owners to remit the tax for the extra land and does not give ownership. This often leads to legal cases in court. The 'Settlement Act' by the state government aims to solve this issue.
Around one-and-half lakh cases are pending in court concerning the extra land found during the resurvey. This would likely to increase further by the time the digital survey is completed in the next four months.
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