Municipal Councils And Urban Councils (Amendment)

Municipal Councils And Urban Councils (Amendment)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS ORDINANCE AND THE URBAN COUNCILS ORDINANCE.

BE it enacted by the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka as fallows:

[27^th February
, 1981 ]

Short title and date of operation.

1. This Act may be cited as the Municipal Councils and date of Urban Councils (Amendment) Act, No. 10 of 1981, and shall operation. come into operation on such date as the Minister may appoint by Order published in the Gazette.

PART I

AMENDMENTS TO THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS ORDINANCE

Amendment of section 230 of the Municipal Councils Ordinance

2. Section 230 of the Municipal Councils Ordinance, as amended by Acts Nos. 8 of 1967 and 57 of 1979, is hereby further amended by the insertion immediately after subsection (1A) of that section of the following new subsections :

” (IAA) In pursuance of the powers under subsection (1) the Council may impose a higher rate on premises used for business or commercial purposes.

(1AB)

(a) The Council may, with the approval of the Minister, exempt from the payment of rates all residential premises the annual value of which does not exceed an amount that may be determined by the Council under paragraph (b).

(b) In determining the amount of the annual value of residential premises that may be exempted, the Council shall have regard to

(i) the state of development of the Municipality ;

(ii) the nature of the services and amenities provided by the Council to residential premises with lesser annual values ;

(iii) the loss of revenue that may result from the grant of any exemption and the means proposed by the Council to recover such loss.

(c) Where any residential premises are exempted under the provisions of paragraph (b) the benefit of such exemption shall accrue to the occupier thereof.”

PART II

AMENDMENTS TO THE URBAN COUNCILS ORDINANCE

Amendment of section 160 of the Urban Councils Ordinance.

3. Section 160 of the Urban Councils Ordinance is hereby amended by the insertion immediately after subsection (1) of that section of the following new subsections :

” (1A) In pursuance of the powers under subsection (1), the Council may impose a higher rate on premises used for business or commercial purposes.

(IAA)

(b) In determining the amount of the annual value of residential premises that may be exempted, the Council shall have regard to

(i) the state of development of the town for which the Council is constituted ;

(ii) the nature of the services and amenities provided by the Council to residential premises with lesser annual values ;

(iii) the loss of reverse that may result from the grant of any exemption and the means proposed by the Council to recover such loss.

(c) Where any residential premises are exempted under the provisions of paragraph (b) the benefit of such exemption shall accrue to the occupier thereof.”.