Amritsar MC collects Rs 15 cr property tax against mid-term target of Rs 25 cr

With just 10 days left to avail the 10 per cent rebate on property tax dues, tax collection has picked up pace. However, the Municipal Corporation is far away from achieving the mid-term tax recovery target but civic body officials claimed that the target will be met by September 30. The mid-term target was set at Rs 25 crore whereas the MC has realised only Rs 15 crore till date.

Recently, MC officials started a sealing drive to prompt the property tax defaulters to pay the pending amount. An awareness campaign was also launched to make people pay the tax on time and avail the rebate being offered by the government. The field staff is visiting major commercial establishments to collect the pending tax. The MC staff is also scrutinising the self-assessment declared by property tax payers and sending notices to those who paid less tax than the actual amount.

Sushant Bhatia, MC secretary, appealed to the residents to pay their taxes on time to avail the rebate and avoid penalties. The residents can pay the property tax at the Citizen Facilitation Centre at the MC Head Office in Ranjit Avenue and all zonal offices. For avoiding long queues, residents can pay the property tax online too. “The collected amount is used for providing basic amenities and taking up development works in the city,” he said.

The state government offered a 10 per cent rebate on the payment of current tax till September 30. No penalty is imposed on payment of tax from October 1 to December 31. The department imposes a 10 per cent penalty on payment of tax from January 1 to March 31. The penalty is increased to 20 per cent and an annual interest of 18 per cent is also imposed if the residents fail to pay tax for the current financial year by March 31.