Small pan shops also subjected to tax loot

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the new tariff rates coming into effect from April, the people are pushed into a predicament, suffering large with the big hike in building tax. The government has decided to include small shops and bank buildings in the purview of the new tax tariff. The tariff slab for such shops will be similar to that of buildings under 300 sq ft. area.

Corporations and municipalities can take Rs 22 per sq ft for tax from buildings. In panchayats, the price range will be between Rs 6 to 10. Meanwhile, the small shops working on the city premises are not even depending on the government's shoulder for electricity. Squeezing money from such impoverished sellers is uncalled for, goes the general opinion. The local self-government will decide the tariff slabs to be paid by the small shops functioning in the alleys of the city.

For business centers and entrepreneurs, the new tax reforms are nothing short of a shock. Malls under the corporation can get slabs in the range of Rs 120 per sq ft. Hospitals should also pay higher building taxes in the coming months.