By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 6 Feb: Even as the newly elected Board of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation is set to be sworn in, the Nagar Nigam Administration has adopted a strict stand over pending dues of property tax in respect of commercial properties.
The House Tax Department of the Nagar Nigam has issued notices to around 15,000 commercial property owners in the 2024-25 financial year for failing to pay house tax. Among them, 460 major defaulters owe a staggering amount of around Rs 27 crores, while nearly 3,000 property owners have outstanding dues ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh each. To expedite recovery, the Municipal Corporation will now send tax notices via WhatsApp to defaulters of commercial properties who have yet to pay their annual dues.
It may be recalled that the Municipal Corporation has set a target of collecting Rs 60 crores as property tax during the current financial year. Of this target, an amount of Rs 36 crores has already been collected as House Tax from the property owners. However, with less than two months left for the current financial year to go, an amount of Rs 24 crores is still pending collection.
To ensure the maximum possible collection of House and Property Tax in the remaining two months of the current financial year, the Nagar Nigam Administration has intensified its recovery efforts by continuously issuing notices.
The Officials claim that those failing to comply may face strict action, including property attachment and sealing of commercial establishments. Recovery certificates (RCs) are also being issued to common defaulters, with notices already served to 8,000 offenders.
It has been shared by the officials, that Centrio Mall in Hathibarkala has emerged as the city’s highest taxpayer, contributing Rs 65 lakhs as property tax while Hyatt Regency and Pacific Mall have also been consistent taxpayers, paying over Rs 45 lakhs, each. Meanwhile, the newly established Mall of Dehradun is expected to surpass them, and municipal teams have begun assessing its taxable area.
Municipal Commissioner Namami Bansal has shared that the tax defaulters will incur a 12 percent penalty on outstanding amounts, while taxpayers clearing their dues for the current financial year may receive a discount of up to 20 percent. She also reaffirmed the corporation’s commitment to meeting its Rs 60 crores tax collection target by the end of the financial year.
