Private schools have taken exception to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) asking them to pay full property tax as commercial units. School managements say that this is violation of law, and that they are not commercial units.
D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said that earlier, they were asked to pay 25% of the property tax, but are now being asked to pay the full amount. They said that they would appraise the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the BBMP.
“Particularly during the pandemic, when we do not have a good source of income and many parents have not come forward to pay the fees, we cannot afford to pay 100% tax. Moreover, we cannot be treated like business enterprises and asked to pay taxes as commercial units,” he said.
Many schools had laid off their teaching and non-teaching staff during the pandemic as they have been unable to collect the fees from a majority of students.
Officials of the DPI said that they would approach the BBMP and request them to waive off the amount for schools.
COMMents
SHARE