Property tax under new regime need to be paid only from April 1, 2016

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has revised the period from which property tax can be collected under the new tax regime. At present tax based on plinth area is being collected from 1-4-2013. This period has now been revised as 1-4-2016. It has also been decided that penalty for service cess and library cess as part of property tax reforms will be relaxed if the arrears are paid as single payment or as five equal installments from 1-3-2019 within 10 months. The tax which has been levied before the period of April 1,2016 may be adjusted in tax payment for future fiscals.
The secretaries of local bodies have been directed to complete all procedures related to tax reforms like data collection of buildings, data entry for form 6, verification and approval between June and September 2019. The tax payment period has been revised in the wake of complaints that public have been forced to pay a huge amount as tax and penalty if it is levied from April 1, 2013.

Besides section 539 of municipality act also says that no kind of attachment of legal proceedings may be initiated if the amount due to corporation is defaulted for a period above 3 years. One corporation and 22 municipalities have so far completed procedures for implementing new tax regime.