BWSSB proposes tax rebate on RWH filters
Faced with a deluge of letters and calls from public appealing for some kind of subsidy or loans to be made available for those opting for Rain Water Harvesting (RWH), the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has proposed relaxation of Value Added Tax (VAT) for a key component used in the installation of the RWH structures.
The move is intended to motivate the public to opt for RWH before the May 27 deadline.
This was decided at the high-level meeting of the BWSSB officials on Wednesday. BWSSB Chairperson B Ramamurthy has sent a proposal in this connection to the Urban Development department late in the evening, sources said.
At present, nearly 12.5 per cent VAT is being charged on the cost of the filters, which is a key component in the RWH structures, an official specified.
“With the number of people opting for RWH in existing 40 x 60 buildings far disproportionate to the actual number, we are attempting some kind of incentive for house owners to harvest rainwater,” the source said.
Vital component
The filter, the most vital component in the RWH apparatus, is used to remove dust and other solid matter present in water.
There are three types of filters presently used in the different types of RWH methods: a pop-up filter, a rainy filter and a sand filter.
Elaborating on the market rates for the products, Vijay Raj, proprietor of a leading filter concern, Farmland Rainwater Harvesting Systems, said that the cost of a pop-up filter works out to Rs 2,700, inclusive of tax. “If the VAT charges can be done away with, it would cost only around Rs 2,400 and could offer some relief to the purchasers,” he said.
The Rainy filter costs Rs 5,000 and the discount could bring down the price to Rs 4,400, he added.
Sand filters work out to be much cheaper and they are usually designed by the people at their homes, Raj said.
The BWSSB is also calling for Expression of Interest from manufacturers of filters, said a source. This would enable the department to put out a price list of filters to the consumers, he said.
DH News Service
