BMC plans UAA property tax for uniform structure in all 41 wards
Times of India | 20 October 2024
Kolkata: The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation has decided to introduce the unit area assessment (UAA) system for property tax, aiming to have a uniform tax structure in all its 41 wards. At present, the property tax structure at wards 1 to 26 is different from that in wards 29 to 41. In wards 27, 28, 35 and 36, khajna is collected.
Officials said the West Bengal valuation board was conducting a thorough assessment of the BMC property tax structure to prepare the formula on which the UAA system for Salt Lake and other areas, such as Rajarhat-Gopalpur, including Baguiati-Kestopur, would be based.“The process to evolve a uniform tax structure is underway. It will take some time for the new structure, based on UAA, to be prepared and finalised. Till then, the present tax structure will continue,” said a BMC official.
The tax valuation for Salt Lake was last assessed in 1997 and that of Rajarhat in 2005.
The civic body currently receives about Rs 25 crore to Rs 28 crore from Salt Lake and around Rs 10 crore to Rs 12 crore from Rajarhat Gopalpur area in tax. Once all the 41 wards come under the revised tax structure, BMC expects the annual property tax receipt to jump to Rs 150 crore.
The mutation process of plots in BMC wards 27 and 28, covering places in Nayapatti and Mahisbathan bordering Salt Lake, has also started. The civic body will soon prepare property tax bills based on the prevalent tax structure of Rajarhat-Gopalpur and start sending bills to tax-payers of the two wards. Residents of these two wards, along with those living in wards 35 and 36, pay khajna to the land revenue department. Each household in Mahisbathan and Nayaptti pays khajna of around Rs 600 to Rs 800 a year. “The civic body has started receiving mutation applications for plots in Mahisbathan and Nayapatti. Once the process is completed, the civic authorities will calculate tax, based on the existing BMC property tax structure prevalant in wards 1 to 26, which covers Rajarhat-Gopalpur,” said a civic official.
The adjacent Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) is also working on plans to introduce UAA system for property tax in Sector V.
In New Town, NKDA introduced the UAA system with effect from April 1, 2018.