MC launches campaign to recover property tax

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 14

As the financial year is coming to an end, the MC has started a drive and trying to meet the target of recovery of Rs 40 crore from property tax, but till now, the department has recovered Rs 24.5 crore.

In the Budget this year, the MC has set a target of Rs 40 crore as revenue from property tax. Last year also, the target was Rs 40 crore, but it could only recover Rs 28 crore.

Officials said this year they were expecting that they would recover more than the previous year.

“We are hoping to recover Rs 30-32 crore this financial year,” an official of the property tax wing said.

Inspectors of the wing go to various areas to recover property tax and defaulters who have not paid the tax are served notice under Section 112 to which the latter have to give a reply within three days, failing which another notice of sealing of the property is served under Section 138.

“Once the property is sealed, it would only be handed over to the owner after payment is made,” he said.

Today, the department sealed eight properties on the old Hoshiarpur road near Lamba Pind Chowk, while on Monday, seven properties in the Rama Mandi area were sealed. On January 8, the department had taken action against eight properties in the Avtar Nagar area by sealing them.

Superintendent Bhupinder Singh said in November, a one-time settlement policy had come under which those persons who had failed to deposit the house tax or property tax, may deposit the principal amount in lump sum with rebate at the rate of 10 per cent of the amount being deposited within a period of three months from the date of issue of the order as a one-time settlement.

According to the order, the persons, who still fail to deposit the due amount as stated above, within the period and the manner specified above will be liable to pay a penalty at the rate of 20 per cent on the amount due along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent from the date it became due till the date of its realisation.

Singh said there was a recovery of Rs 1.5 crore more than the amount that was recovered last year till this time.