Not at Nariman Point

As my friend’s office was moving to the suburbs, I went to help him. Ironically, he was the one who sniffed snootily years earlier, when he found out I was locating my office at a central suburb. Perhaps reading my mind, he gruffly said, ‘It is the issue of property taxes.’ I consoled him saying that all businesses have their ups and downs and we were in the middle of recession so no-one looses face today.

Amidst the packed boxes in his cabin, were seated a few worried visitors waiting for him. He waived me to the top of crate which thankfully took my weight with only a few creaks. One guest in a sports jacked broke the ice pleading to my friend not to vacate the premises. I summarized him to be the Landlord. ‘Please re-consider your decision’ he pleaded, ‘this place has a beautiful view of the sea and it has proved real lucky for you.’ How he realized the place to be lucky was evident cause my friend readily paid the increase in rent at the renewal of each eleven month contract. ‘But the property tax is too high and not within my budget’ countered my friend. Now the sports jacket tried to plea like an exploited person, ‘On the rent you pay me, I am already paying 20% TDS and also service tax. And at the end of the year, I pay Income Tax. Virtually half the rent you pay me is paid to the Government otherwise I would have borne it.’ He was so emotional about it that I bent forward to see if he had tears in his eyes.

‘Don’t make us the villain’ spoke the other guy. ‘We are bound by law set up in 1881.’ Now all of us started laughing. My friend observed, ‘Are you aware that we achieved independence more than 60 years after the law was set up and more than 100 years have elapsed after the statute was enacted? Situation has changed so much over the years and this city was not the same when the statute was passed.’ This made the man sheepish who replied, ‘I am a small man and not aware whether my seniors can initiate such a change.’ ‘But why are you here?’ asked my friend. ‘To persuade you to stay and not leave. After all, the Queen’s necklace is the landmark of the city and Nariman Point is the LOCKET of the necklace!’ He replied showing his visiting card stating he was the PRO. ‘What difference does it make to you?’ he was asked. Giving a PRO smile which seemed weird for a Corporation representative, he answered, ‘If everyone leaves this place then the corporation’s revenue will plummet. That is why my department was set up.’ I asked him, ‘Mr. PRO, instead of starting a department of Public relations, do you not think efforts would be better directed to making practical law or amending it to suit the present circumstances? After all, even the constitution of India has been amended so many times for the sake of practicality so your statute in comparison is less fundamental for the country.’

Looking over the packing list of his office, my friend pushed the ultimate threat, ‘If you hound us out off the city we may even shift to another state decreasing the revenue of not only your corporation but also the state itself.’ The PRO shrugged his shoulders saying that the politicians of the state were in a state of flux over the seat sharing so no-one was running the Government at the moment. The landlord had his hand in his head as he said that now his account with the Bank would be downgraded and there were many like him. Unfortunately that sent me into peals of laughter. All looked at me wonderstruck at my insensitive reaction to a person predicting his bankruptcy. Shaking off their misunderstanding, I said, ‘Over the last 2 decades the recessions have followed a heated (inflated) real estate market. Even the recent recession had the same symptoms. Now you are telling me that a property tax will be the cause of the immediate next recession? Perhaps only now, have we have grasped the power of real estate.’