Governor clears bill exempting KMC schools from property tax
On Friday, March 22, Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose granted approval to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which excludes schools under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) from property tax obligations, as confirmed by a senior official.
The bill, passed by the state assembly in September last year, justifies the amendment to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980 (West Bengal Act LIX of 1980) to exempt lands or buildings housing educational institutions under state government or state government-aided administration from property tax payments.
Currently, there are a total of 1,329 primary schools, 556 secondary schools and 78 colleges within the jurisdiction of the KMC, accounting for approximately 1,963 premises.
Despite the state government covering salaries and other expenses of the employees of these institutions, there exists no provision for property tax payments by it, leading to a substantial backlog of unpaid taxes.
