Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed in the Assembly with an aim to waive the property tax of the state government run or aided schools and colleges situated in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) areas.
“It is considered necessary and expedient to amend the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980 (West Ben. Act LIX of 1980), inter alia, for the purpose of making provision for exempting the lands or buildings comprising educational institutions, administered or aided, by the state government from payment of property tax,” reads the bill.
State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim in the Assembly said that there are around 1,329 primary schools, 556 secondary schools and 78 colleges under KMC’s jurisdiction.
There are a total 1,963 institutions which will be waived from the property tax. He also said that property taxes from various state-run institutions are due.
The due amount would be around Rs 10 crore, Hakim added. They were facing difficulties in submitting data to the CAG because of the unrealized dues. He further stated that the bill was passed to waive the amount.