If vacant spaces of sports activities are taxed, it is a death knell for sports: MRC Chairman

Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysore Race Club (MRC) has paid a Property Tax of Rs. 2.55 crore to the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) for 2021-22. In a press release, the MRC has stated that they paid the tax under protest against higher Property Tax classification where vacant spaces are taxed. 

The MRC has been promptly paying Property Tax of Rs. 52 lakh per year. For the taxation year 2021-22, the MRC received a demand for Rs. 2.55 crore, a 500 percent increase when compared to the Property Tax paid last year (2020-21).

“While MRC has made several representations to Government authorities to reduce Property Tax, considering the fact that MRC has always been a prompt tax payer in the past, the MRC has remitted the demanded Property Tax amounting to Rs.2.55 crore under protest. This tax has been paid for the entire MRC premises including Mysore Race Club Golf Course,” the press release stated.

The cheque for Rs. 2.55 crore was handed over to the MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy by MRC Chairman Y.B. Ganesh yesterday.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Ganesh said that the MCC till now was taxing only buildings and now even the vacant area around the buildings too are being taxed. “In fact, the Mysore Race Club and the Mysore Race Club Golf Course come under sports and recreation category and if the huge vacant spaces are taxed, all the sports activities will meet a slow death. We have paid the demanded tax under protest,” he said.

Sports and allied activities must actually get tax exemption. “We have appealed to the Government many times to keep sports grounds out of tax purview. Even the Department of Youth Services and Sports has responded positively to our demand and they have communicated the same to the Urban Development Department. We will continue our fight to release vacant sports spaces from the taxation bracket,” he added.