After much hullabaloo, the reformed holding tax pattern was given the nod by members of Ranchi Municipal Corporation Board, but with some stipulations of their own.
In a special board meeting on Wednesday, ward councillors demanded the new annual holding tax rate to be brought down to 2 per cent from the originally proposed 2.5 per cent, and the reforms to be implemented from January 20, 2016 instead of January 1, 2014.
The councillors also insisted that houses built on an area up to 350 square feet should be let off the hook for holding tax, instead of previously provisioned 250 square feet. The recommendations of the Board will be forwarded to State Government for approval, stated Municipal Commissioner Prashant Kumar.
As per the new format, religious places will be exempted from paying holding taxes. Meanwhile, extra tax will be taken from bars, restaurants, hotels, educational institutions, and private schools. Holding tax will also be taken from office buildings of government agencies and public sector undertakings.
As for the assessment of the tax to be paid for a holding, it will be done by the holding owner. “RMC personnel will not go door-to-door for preparing tax assessment. Around 3.5 lakh forms for this are being printed for this and will be distributed among holding owners in all wards of the city. The information gathered through these forms will be scrutinised by RMC officials and taxpayers sharing incorrect details will be penalised,” informed Kumar.
Holdings numbers can be given on four kinds of land plots, he added. Holding number can be acquired for a vacant piece of land, or one with a house built on it, by submitting a sale deed and rate receipt from Circle Office.
Apartment dwellers can apply for holding numbers by submitting possession letters, deed or on the basis of old holding number. Provisions have also been made for superstructures, where holding number can be acquired by submitting the electricity bill of the structure.