Modified property tax norms likely for Chennai

The Chennai Corporation is likely to go in for modified norms while revising property tax rates instead of following recent guidelines issued by the government.

The guidelines have anomalies and, if strictly followed, the tax may have to be revised more than the 25 per cent ceiling suggested by the government, according to official sources. Chennai adopts a simplified method to calculate property tax and will find it difficult to implement the new norms, they say.

The Chennai Corporation is the only local body in the State that has published streetwise property tax rates. It follows a square feet system for arriving at the tax, which allows property owners to calculate the levy on their own and avoid discretion or inconsistencies in interpretation norms.