A section of small-scale building owners in the city has sought the intervention of the Union Ministry of Finance and the Central Excise of Customs and Service Tax to exempt them from the purview of service tax.

In a memorandum recently sent to the Union government, the leaders of the Small Scale Building Owners’ and Tenants Association (SSBOTA) claimed that majority of their members was senior citizens who solely depended on rental income to survive.

C.C. Manoj and Sam Kuruvila, who submitted the memorandum on behalf of the organisation, said the small-scale building owners faced huge loss with the existing service tax norms after paying land tax, Corporation tax, Income Tax, and the annual maintenance expenses on the building.