Soon, there will be no more tax refunds in case you keep your property vacant for over a month.
The civic body now wants to charge citizens for water and sewage facilities even if their flats are not being used. A proposal to scrap the tax refunds will be decided next month.
As of now the BMC gives refunds of water and sewage tax in case the property is not in use for over a month.
Landlords tend to keep their rooms/flats vacant to avoid taxes, the new proposal claims.
The proposal has been cleared by the civic law committee and standing committee. It has been forwarded for a discussion by the corporators in October.
“There will not be a substantial increase in the tax amount but it would deter landlords from keeping houses and offices vacant,” said B.S. Umraje, assessor and collector.
As per the current law, if the landlord asks the BMC to stop water supply to the vacant premises, he can get a refund on water tax. However, it is at the commissioner’s discretion to disallow any such claims.