Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.
Credit: DH Photo
The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to assess the possibility of levying property tax on unauthorised buildings and lands in municipalities across the state.
This is on the lines of a legal provision in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Act to tax unauthorised assets in the state capital.
The Cabinet authorised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to constitute a sub-committee to discuss ways in which unauthorised properties can be brought under the property tax net.
At present, the BBMP Act provides for levying tax on properties that have come up in violation of the law. Section 144 (6) of the BBMP Act states that this includes buildings constructed in violation of the provisions of the building byelaw, or in an unauthorised layout, or in a revenue land, or without occupancy certificate.
As per the Act, the levy of tax does not confer any right to regularise the violations, ownership or the legal status to such buildings. "Such buildings shall always be liable for any action for violation of law in accordance with the provisions of this Act or any other law," the Act states.
The government wants to now extend this provision to the Karnataka Municipalities Act and the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act.
Briefing reporters, Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said the government wants to wanted to bring in similar norms in municipal corporations and municipalities across the state.
At present, the government is faced with the challenge of making the owners of unauthorised buildings pay tax. "The property owners are questioning why they should pay tax when they are not being regularised," Patil said.
Patil specified that the government's plan is to only tax unauthorised properties and not regularise them.