BMC says no change in property tax rates, but value of houses revised

Mumbai, May 29 (PTI) The Mumbai civic body on Thursday said it has not increased the property tax rates, but people received higher bills this month as the value of houses in the city was revised as per a mandatory legal provision.

In a release, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also said it stayed the implementation of solid waste management fees after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde pointed out that the revised property tax was going to put an additional burden on city residents.

Flats smaller than 500 square feet are already exempted from property tax, it pointed out.

The average 15.89 per cent increase in the latest property tax bills came about as under section 154(1)(c) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, capital value of properties has to be revised every five years, the BMC said.

While the last revision was carried out in 2015, the update in 2020 was deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the current revision comes after a 10-year gap, the civic body clarified.

Notably, elections to the BMC, pending for three years, are expected to be held in the next few weeks following a Supreme Court order. PTI KK KRK