The state government has decided to amend its property tax policy, which is good news for taxpayers who have paid in excess if one takes into account recent policy changes.

Officials said that since house tax policy has changed several times over the last few years, and with the latest change adopted in October 2013, the quantum of tax actually reduced, meaning tax payers had paid in excess.

"The house tax policy of the state has been changed a couple of times in the recent past and before the latest policy was announced in October 2013, some consumers were paying in excess. However, when the new policy was announced, some tax was reduced or rationalized and therefore some of the taxpayers have benefited," said P Raghavendra Rao, additional chief secretary to the government of Haryana.

"Some of them have been demanding that the excess amount that they have paid be refunded and since there was no such provision, we had to bring this amendment. According to this amendment, which has already come into effect, those owners who have paid more can now approach the municipal corporation and seek a refund. In case they do not wish to seek a refund the excess amount will automatically get adjusted against property tax for the year 2014-15," he said.

Rao, the principal secretary of the urban local bodies department, said while there might not be many in the residential category who would have been charged excess amount, there are many who might want to seek a refund in the institutional and commercial category.

"The tax amount in the residential sector is not much, but those in the commercial category would benefit as they pay lakhs of rupees as tax and they might want to seek a refund. The excess amount will be refunded to them without interest by the municipal corporation concerned," he said.