Lack of info about GST hits property tax recovery

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 27

Residents have not been paying their property tax dues with an anticipation that post-GST they may get immunity as several taxes may merge under the uniform tax system.

Despite the efforts made by property tax officials, they have failed to achieve their targets.

The Municipal Corporation (MC) has failed to recover the property tax amount which they had collected till June end in last year.

Gurlovleen Singh Sidhu, Commissioner, MC, has been conducting routine meetings to review the recovery of tax.

Following the financial crisis, Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and senior officials directed the local officers to make extra efforts for the recovery of taxes.

The Local Bodies Department has been offering 10 per cent rebate on paying the tax in advance.

“We have been making efforts to encourage residents but there are certain rumours about the GST. The local taxes would continue and there is not any exemption announced by the government. But the residents have been expecting that local taxes would also merge in the GST. They have been delaying the payment of property tax. We are making them aware that the local taxes would be continued,” said an MC official.

Meanwhile, a separate meeting of the Property Tax Department was conducted to check defaulters.

Senior officials directed employees to start sealing properties of defaulters. The officials said they would start a drive to seal properties soon and no defaulter would be spared.