Govt mulls property tax on residential houses, vacant plots

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 21

The state government is planning to charge property tax on vacant plots and residential houses up to 125 sq yards.

Earlier, no property tax was levied on vacant plots and houses up to 125 sq yards.

The government has proposed to levy Rs50 per year property tax on residential houses measuring 50 square yards or less and Rs100 per year property tax on single storey residential houses measuring 125 square yards or less. Besides, it is also proposing to levy Rs100 per year tax on residential flats having super covered area measuring 500 square ft or less.

It has been proposed to charge property tax on vacant plots. At present, properties owned by freedom fighters, ex-servicemen, widows and handicapped persons are exempted. Now, it has been proposed that only one residential property belonging to these categories would be exempted from property tax and other properties would be charged as per normal rates.

According to information, at present, the private educational institutions are being charged as under industrial category with 50 per cent rebate. Now, it is proposed to bring private education institutions under commercial category with no rebate.

At present godowns were treated as industrial properties, but it has been proposed to bring these under commercial category. For multiplex and malls, the present rates are Rs15 per sq ft for A class and Rs10 per square ft for B class towns. It is proposed to increase these rates to Rs20 and Rs15, respectively.

A proposed draft policy has been sent to MC Commissioner Ludhiana by the Local Bodies Department. MC Commissioner Jaskiran Singh said they would study the draft regarding property tax. As the government has sought comments on it, the MC would file it, he said.