The Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) property tax reassessment drive has drawn heavy backlash over sharp increases and a lack of prior consultation and transparency.
A GCC official said the revised tax was based on self-declared property area. The first revision was carried out in 2018, followed by a major one in 2022, but the collection was subsequently paused. The revised rate should have been collected 2022 onwards, and is now being implemented, he said.
T.K. Shanmugam, chairman of the Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Associations (FNCRWA), said a resident, who had been paying a property tax of ₹295, was demanded ₹3,255 following the reassessment, without receiving any explanation. Mr. Shanmugam said the residents were not given details such as the rate per square foot or the basis for the revised assessment.
He further questioned whether the residents would be able to approach the Revenue Department officials to raise objections, given the large number of properties involved.
He said many houses in North Chennai had undergone additions over the years that may not have been reflected in earlier assessments. However, he criticised the manner in which such changes were being reassessed using only drone and GIS-based methods, without manual confirmation.
Many also took to social media, saying the sudden move and close deadline had put several residents between a rock and a hard place.
Sandhya Vedullapalli, secretary of the Federation of Anna Nagar Residents’ Associations, said that for her, the tax was revised from ₹895 to ₹1,835 — a 100% increase. She alleged that in an apartment complex, only one flat had received the reassessment notice, raising questions about uniformity in the exercise.
For Vijaykumar, who owns a space in Mogappair, the rate went up from ₹6,500 for six months to over ₹31,000, nearly a five-fold increase. “I am yet to raise an objection. Such sudden increases could affect businesses, especially small ones,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tiruvottiyur CPI(M) councillor R. Jayaraman said several residents in his ward had received information regarding the revision.
He said the GCC had taken the decision without passing a resolution in the Council. “There was no prior information. When there is an online gateway to register complaints about all issues, there ought to be one for this too. We will put forth our objection in the next Council meeting,” Mr. Jayaraman said.
Pointing out that the earlier property tax increases had contributed to public dissatisfaction with the previous regime, CPI(M)’s G. Selva said the new government should reconsider the decision.
Some residents of Thoraipakkam and Neelankarai had received information about the revision, A. Francis of Thoraipakkam Residents’ Welfare Association said.
Kumararaja of Velachery said some residents of Tansi Nagar, Annai Indira Nagar, Vijay Nagar, Mahatma Gandhi Street, and Nehru Street had received reassessment notices.
He said the properties in these localities had been classified as having “zero value”, as they fell within the buffer zone of the Pallikaranai marshland. Since further development was not possible in the area, he questioned the basis for revising the property tax, and said the decision should be reconsidered.
A resident of Nanganallur said: “The GCC has increased the tax for the apartment owned by my bedridden mother. From the earlier half-yearly rate of ₹900, the tax has now been revised to ₹3,300. The property is held exclusively by my mother aged 80. As she has been bedridden since last year, her family pension is not adequate to meet the mounting medical expenses. Either the basic street rate should be reduced or it should be reduced on a par with core areas of Chennai. Nanganallur has higher rates than some core areas,” he said.
Arun, a resident of Adambakkam, welcomed the move, saying it corrected under-assessed properties rather than imposing a uniform hike. Though he agreed that a reassessment of under-valued properties would increase revenue for the GCC, he said there should have been greater transparency and awareness among the public.
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Taxation and Finance Sarbajaya Das told The Hindu that the decision had been taken by the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue and Finance).
She said the reassessment had initially been intended for commercial buildings, followed by around 6,000 residential properties. The committee had not been informed that residential properties would also be reassessed under the new government, she said.
Stating that the Council had not been informed that objections could be raised, Ms. Das said they would demand a portal to address the issue and greater transparency at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on August 23 or 24.
She added that the GCC was facing a severe fund crunch, with no maintenance or ward development funds released and a liability of ₹2,000 crore.
The GCC has issued notices to three lakh assessees for under-assessment of property tax. It expects to generate an additional revenue of ₹83 crore per annum from the revision of property tax on under-assessed properties.
Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran, in a statement, said: “The change is only for properties that were under-assessed and those that were converted to commercial. It is based on GIS, satellite imagery, other government databases, and the owner’s self-declaration of area. The assessee can request remeasurement and reconsideration to RDCs. The same will be disposed of within a month,” he said.
Published - August 13, 2026 12:49 am IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
