Belagavi City Corporation issued a circular on June 10, 2024, announcing the extension of the effective date for a 5% rebate on property tax payments until July 31, 2024. This decision has left many diligent taxpayers who paid their property tax in May feeling betrayed and deceived, as they did not receive the rebate.
Typically, the 5% rebate is applied for payments made in April each year. However, this year the official website only became operational on April 15, and it still generates blank challans for many property owners. Those who took the time to visit the respective offices and obtain their challans manually now feel especially let down.
Hemant, a property owner, told AAB, “I had to visit the local office five times to get the challan, and now, after paying around 80,000 in taxes, I feel betrayed and fooled by the City Corporation.”
Another resident, Vinayak, expressed similar frustration, saying, “We paid the property tax in June without any rebate, and now the corporation is offering a rebate. It’s like a flash sale where you miss out on the discount. Honest taxpayers are being looted! Even now, property challans for many apartments are not generated online, and no one seems to be fixing the issue.”
Praveen added,
These extensions are probably to cover up the laxity in rectifying the shortcomings on the official portal.
Responsible citizens pay their property tax on time, to save 5 per cent of the exorbitantly and irrationally increased tax amount.
They are made to look like fools, when the last date is repeatedly extended.
If the civic authorities are to anyway extend the period, what is the point in a few “stupid common people” paying the tax in-time and those making delayed payment enjoying the rebate?