Building owners close ranks to fight tax hike

MALAPPURAM: The building owners in the district have joined hands to fight the sharp hike in the building tax. The Kerala Building Owners Welfare Association (KBOWA) has called for a district-level meeting on May 8 at Kottakkal to discuss the issue. The hike in the building tax has badly affected the building owners in the state.There is an exhorbitant  rise in the amount to be paid as tax to the government. Earlier, the government levied 7 per cent tax from the annual profit of the building owners. They had also allowed to deduct 10 per cent from the profit for maintenance work,” KBOWA district president Ilyas Vadakkan said.As per the new regulation, a builder has to pay tax according to the size of the building. They have to pay Rs 70 per square metre and there is also extra burden for the luxury modifications in the building. There is an increase in tax for rented buildings and buildings near the highways.The building owners are obliged to pay the extra tax even for the decorations done by the persons running the shop The High Court has issued a stay order in levying the extra building tax in a writ petition submitted by some building owners.The court has postponed the time period of the stay order to two more months from April 19. The association has pointed 27 anomalies in the modification of building tax regulations before the High Court.The KBOWA had discussed the issue with Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali and he informed them that he would consider their request.The convention is aimed at to discuss and find some solution to the issues confronting the building owners.The KBOWA wants to get support from the building owners from all parts of the district.They are also planning to extent the agitation state wide.