Hyderabad: Cantonment residents have submitted a representation to Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) chief executive officer (CEO), raising serious concerns over the continued implementation of 5% transfer of property tax (TPT) based on a notification issued in 1989.A group of residents, formed as Cantonment Vikas Manch, highlighted that the existing TPT rate of 5% was fixed in 1989, issued as per the provisions of the Cantonments Act, 1924. At that time, public awareness, communication systems, and access to information were limited, due to which many residents might not have had the opportunity to submit objections or suggestions. TPT is collected by the state govt at the time of registration of properties in the Cantonment jurisdiction, and subsequently remitted to SCB.The Manch has urged the authorities to issue a fresh notification regarding TPT, provide adequate time and wide publicity for public participation, allow residents to submit objections and suggestions transparently, conduct a public consultation process before enforcing the tax, and review and reduce TPT to 1.5%, in line with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).They further pointed out that Secunderabad Cantonment has undergone significant changes over the past few decades in terms of population, economic conditions, property values, and purchasing capacity. Continuing to impose the same tax rate without revisiting these factors is seen as unjust and outdated.The organization also noted that in the neighbouring GHMC, TPT is only 1.5%, creating a clear disparity. On grounds of fairness and parity, the Manch has demanded that the TPT rate in Secunderabad Cantonment be reduced from 5% to 1.5%.The Manch emphasized that implementing or continuing such a tax based on a decades-old notification, without giving present-day residents an opportunity to express their views, goes against the principles of natural justice and democratic governance.The residents have appealed to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board to consider their request sympathetically and ensure transparency, fairness, and public trust in the decision-making process.
