Councillors oppose property tax hike at Coimbatore Corporation council meeting

Coimbatore Corporation council opposes annual property tax hike and revised building permit fees, raising concerns over financial burden.

The annual property tax hike and revised building permit fees faced strong opposition at the Coimbatore Corporation council meeting on Wednesday.

Nearly 20 councillors raised objections to the State government’s decision to implement a 6% increase in property tax each year, from March 2024.

Councillor R. Gayathri (INC) criticised the burden on residents, stating, “We opposed the 100% property tax hike proposal of the State government in 2022, and now residents are already paying 6% extra. Future hikes will force people to spend most of their income on property tax.”

Councillor R. Prabhakaran (AIADMK) raised concerns about the Corporation collecting revised building permit fees for residential properties over 3,500 sq. ft., despite the resolution not being approved in the previous council meeting on September 13.

Mayor K. Ranganayaki, who presided over the meeting, said, “These concerns will be presented to the Chief Minister appropriately.”

The council has approved a resurvey of the waste volume at the Vellalore landfill in response to a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order prohibiting the dumping of mixed waste. This follows a Government Order (GO) that facilitates the removal of 743,287 tonnes of legacy waste through bio-mining at a cost of ₹58.54 crore.

Funding for this initiative comes from the Corporation (59%), Central government (25%), and State government (16%). The tender process has been delayed due to the Lok Sabha elections, and a fire from April 6 to 17 reduced the waste volume.