LSGD minister MB Rajesh said on Thursday that stringent penalties will be imposed on unauthorized constructions in state and portions of buildings constructed in an illegal manner will invite three times the original property tax.
Stressing on the need to plug tax loss, Rajesh said that an extensive inspection shall be carried out to identify buildings that underwent alterations without getting the approval of respective local bodies. Houses, with an area of up to 1,500 sq ft, will be exempted from being penalized with three times the original tax.
The minister added that the government is also considering a reasonable hike in building permit fee and the rates will be fixed later. “Permit fee in other states is way higher than Kerala. In Kerala, this has not been hiked periodically. The hike would be fair and it would be used to meet the expense required for the technical investment in giving prompt service to the people,” he said.
Rajesh said that from April 1, the official intervention in giving permits to houses in urban local bodies and small scale buildings will be avoided. “With the introduction of a new system, the engineering wing can focus on plan implementation. This will also rule out chances of graft and complaints related to delay in issuance of building permits,” he said. For buildings up to 300 sq m area, a self-declared application shall be the basis for permits in corporations and municipalities.
The minister said that the assembly has passed the bill to effect a 5% hike in property tax of buildings from April 1. New rates will be applicable to buildings that will be constructed from next year. Property tax exemption shall be made applicable to houses up to 60 sq m.
K-smart, an application to provide services online, will be activated in April. Initially the system will offer facilities for birth and death registration, trade license and public grievance redressal. The minister also said that an urban commission will be constituted to formulate a new urban policy for state.