Date:04/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100454970600.htm

Tamil Nadu

Hike in property tax unaffordable, says chamber

Staff Reporter

PUDUKOTTAI: Pudukottai District Chamber of Commerce has urged the municipality not to give effect to the proposed steep hike in the property tax for commercial buildings and, instead, adhere to the norms being followed by other municipalities on revision of the tax structure.

Referring to the municipality’s proposal for increasing an upward revision, equivalent to 80 per cent of the tariff in the property tax for commercial complex and marriage halls, the Chamber said that the members of trading community would be hard hit by the steep hike.

Most backward

In a press release issued here on Friday, Chamber president A. Kasi Viswanathan and secretary S. Charles Raja said that Pudukottai district in general and the town in particular formed part of the most backward areas in the State.

Further, the trading community was already reeling under a severe loss due to inflation and the failure in monsoon in the district.

They, however, pleaded for upward revision of property tax for commercial complexes by 30 per cent.