Beneficiaries of various rehabilitation schemes of the Central and State governments have called upon the Revenue and Registration departments to exempt them from hefty stamp duties and registration charges for the land allotted to them for constructing houses. A majority of them are low-income farmers whose property was destroyed in natural calamities.
According to rules, 8% of the land cost goes towards stamp duty at the time of registration. Besides, another 2% has to be paid as registration charge. For low-income families, payment of the latter remains a burden.
A farmer organisation leader from Thiruvambady said the government could address the issue through a special order. “Exemption can be granted for those shortlisted for rehabilitation schemes. Even the income of the applicants could be checked before giving approval,” he pointed out.
Such a practice will benefit a large number of rural families who lost their property in the 2019 floods. Many of those who have already received land worth ₹6 lakh will be able to save at least ₹60,000 in terms of registration charges. The matter has also been taken up with people’s representatives, he said.
Many of those who lost their property are struggling to rebuild their lives, and imposing a hefty amount as registration charge on them will dampen their spirits, according to some elected representatives.
Meanwhile, Revenue officials clarified that there should be policy-level decisions on the matter. They pointed out that such decisions would result in a huge drop in government’s revenue, apart from dragging it into legal scuffles.
