By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 1 Apr: Dehradun Municipal Corporation (Doon Nagar Nigam) had targeted a property tax collection of Rs 60 crores during the Financial Year 2023-24, which ended yesterday. However, the Corporation failed to achieve its target and could manage to collect a total amount of Rs 57 crores during the past financial year, thus missing the target by Rs 3 crores. The property tax collection during the Financial Year 2023-24 has, however, been higher than the previous year’s collection by Rs 5 crores, but it still fell short by Rs 3 crores of the target.
Sources claimed that there are many reasons behind the shortfall in the target achievement. The biggest reason is that, while the majority of house tax payers paying house tax on residential properties have paid their dues, it is the big defaulters who have failed to deposit their dues yet again. The big defaulters are in the category of commercial property. As always, the Nigam authorities claim that they will be levying an interest penalty of 12 percent on the defaulters but it is doubtful if this will ensure collection of all the dues from the bigger defaulters.
As far as residential properties are concerned, sources remind that over 13,000 files related to house tax and property mutations are missing over the past few years and are yet to be located despite very strict directions in this regard issued by the State Information Commission. A large number of property owners have not been able to deposit their taxes as their files are missing. This correspondent has learnt that many of the house owners have sought details of their properties through Right to Information (RTI) but they have either not been given any response in this regard within the prescribed time period of 30 days or have been given details of properties belonging to other people. A large number of appeals against the failure on part of the Public Information Officer of Nagar Nigam filed with the First Appellant Officers are also pending and these days, the excuse being given is that the staff is busy with the elections.
As far as the action against the big tax defaulters is concerned, speaking to Garhwal Post, Tax Superintendent Dharmesh Painyuli claimed that the Municipal Corporation will soon prepare a fresh list of such defaulters and then it will start taking action from the next month onwards. He also added that the Municipal Corporation’s software is also going to be upgraded soon. Once the software is upgraded, the tax payers will be given additional 20 percent and 5 percent discount on deposit of property tax by 30 April. He also shared that the Corporation has set a target of around Rs 7 crores for tax collection in the month of April. Some of the major tax defaulters are government departments and institutes.
It may be recalled here that the Municipal Corporation had set a target of Rs 60 crores in the financial year 2023-24. To fulfil the target, tax collection camps were organised by the Municipal Corporation in almost all the wards of the Municipal Corporation.
Sources claimed that some of the major tax defaulters are Maharana Pratap Sports College, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board, Resident Apartment Sahastradhara Sub Station, and Anchal Milk Production Cooperative Union.
