GHMC Initiates Property Re-Assessment in Select Areas

Many property taxpayers in the city, including those who had already settled their dues earlier this year, are now receiving new claims for additional taxes. This surge in claims is due to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) initiating a re-assessment of properties for taxation in certain areas. Bill collectors have been deployed to measure properties and re-evaluate the applicable property tax, if necessary.

The database is currently being updated with revised tax rates, leading some residents—including those who paid their property tax earlier this year—to receive increased tax claims. Officials have received complaints from residents in the GHMC circles of Serilingampally, Secunderabad, Kukatpally, and Chandanagar regarding repeated property tax demands.

Residents in Indiranagar and Gachibowli, part of the Serilingampally circle, reported issues despite having paid their annual property tax under the 'early bird' scheme, which offers a 5% rebate. They found that the GHMC website indicated property tax arrears with penal interest. One complainant mentioned receiving an SMS about additional dues, even after having settled the full amount.

The re-assessment process began in the peripheral areas of the city a decade ago and has been ongoing in the core city—previously part of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH)—for about three decades since the formation of the GHMC. According to GHMC sources, while the corporation has not increased tax slabs, the value of properties has risen due to the reassessment.

Current property tax-related activities in various GHMC circles include identifying additional floors, re-measuring plinth areas, and assessing whether properties that were once classified as residential have shifted to commercial use due to certain roads being designated as commercial. GHMC officials are also evaluating whether property owners paying a nominal annual tax of Rs 101 remain eligible for this rate or if they should now be liable for higher payments due to the addition of extra floors.

In 2016, the state government mandated that residential building owners paying up to Rs 1,200 could instead pay a nominal fee of Rs 101. “Some individuals have previously underestimated their property values with the help of bill collectors to evade higher taxes. This practice has persisted for years, negatively impacting GHMC’s revenue. We are also reassessing such properties,” stated a GHMC official.