50 pc property tax relief for ex-servicemen

Families of retired ex-servicemen, who have been given privileges, can now add another to the list. The State government has decided to waive 50 per cent of the property tax for their houses or land.

The Karnataka Gazette Extra-ordinary, published on April 28, 2012, states that according to the Karnataka Municipalities And Certain Other Law (Amendment) Act, 2011, it is said that “the municipal council may exempt 50 per cent of the property tax on any one piece of land or building belonging to an ex-serviceman or the family of a deceased ex-serviceman.” But there are clear conditions.

An ex-serviceman is defined as a person who has served in the regulary Army, Navy and Air Force of the Union, at any rank. He or she may also be a person who has served in Defence Security Corps, the General Reserve Engineering Force, the Lok Sahayak Sena and Paramilitary forces. The family of the deceased ex-serviceman can include the father, mother, a surviving spouse and dependent children. The ex-serviceman and their dependents are liable for the tax rebate only if they reside at the home being submitted for consideration. The ex-serviceman should also be a permanent resident of the State — a fact that should be verifiable by the Sainik Welfare Board.

The Governor has approved the amendment on April 26, 2012. R S Vishwanath, the deputy director of Sainik Welfare and Resettlement Board, also confirmed that he had received instructions to enforce the rule. To this effect, he said that he has written to the commissioner of Mysore City Corporation, chief executive officer of Zilla Panchayat, and local bodies of seven taluks in the district. A reply is pending.

The tax relief was first proposed in the budget and was expected to go into practice from the following year.

By taking steps to implement the rule, the State joins Maharashtra where several municipal corporations, such as Thane and Navi Mumbai, have already been providing tax relief for ex-servicemen, although with changes and with a varied percentage. Nearly 4,000 ex-servicemen and their dependents currently live in Mysore, Mandya and Chamarajanagar.