Vijayawada: In a move to extend stronger support to defence personnel, the state government has decided to extend the property tax exemption benefit to the spouses of serving or retired defence personnel.This decision is aimed at providing relief to the families of those who have been martyred in the line of duty.The state had initially granted exemption from property tax to ex-servicemen and serving military personnel back in 2003, when N Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh. However, that Government Order (GO) applied only to properties owned directly by the ex-servicemen or serving personnel, with no mention of their spouses.Recently, the director of theSainik Welfare Boardsubmitted a request to the home ministry, seeking an amendment to include the spouses of ex-servicemen and serving defence personnel as beneficiaries.This issue gained traction amid the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions. Sources indicate that deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan urged officials to act promptly on the matter as a gesture of solidarity with defence forces. He advised them to accept all proposed amendments by the Sainik Welfare Board without delay.Following this, Panchayat Raj principal secretary Sashibhushan Kumar issued a detailed order amending the earlier GO.Notably, the word “Army” in paragraphs 2(i) and 2(ii) was replaced with “Defence” to encompass personnel from all three armed forces. Additionally, the phrase “at Borders” was deleted from paragraph 2(i), ensuring the benefit applies to all personnel regardless of their posting location.”Property tax exemption will now be granted for a house registered either in the name of the ex-serviceman/serving defence personnel or their spouse,” said Sashibhushan Kumar. “However, the exemption applies to only one residential property, even if the family owns multiple houses. There is no restriction on the number of floors, provided all floors are fully occupied by immediate dependent family members and the house has a single door number.”In gram panchayats where more than 10% of total properties are owned by defence personnel, a 50% concession in house tax may be granted. In all other gram panchayats, a full (100%) exemption is to be implemented.
