CHENNAI: THE Madras High Court has lambasted the councillors and Mayors of the Corporation of Chennai, for not having revised property tax once in four years since 1998.
“Instead of discharging their duties, in fact, it is evident that they fight over petty issues at the council meetings, which are in the public domain,” Justice N Kirubakaran said. The judge was admitting a writ petition from Kulasekaran and K Padmanabhan, allottees of shops in the Koyambedu market. All of a sudden in July 2014, they were slapped with notices requiring them to pay huge sums towards property taxes from 1996-97 onwards at a stretch. As it came like a bolt out of the blue, they preferred the present petitions challenging the demand.
The judge noted that property tax is to be revised once in four years. But it had not been done since 1998. This has resulted in a loss of huge revenue to the exchequer, the judge observed, impleaded the Secretary of Municipal Administration as a party-respondent in the case and directed him to explain, among other things, the reason for not revising the property tax regularly and the quantum of loss. The judge also said that the Corporation should make all possible and earnest efforts to increase its revenue, as financial crunch leads to non-fulfilment of basic amenities to the people.