Amritsar MC seals properties of tax defaulters
The Property Tax wing of the municipal corporation sealed a hotel, a restaurant, a dairy shop and a wine shop for non-payment of property tax here on Thursday. The MC has adopted this proactive approach to recover outstanding dues.
With only 25 days remaining in the financial year 2024-25, the property tax wing is working rigorously to meet its revenue target. The municipal corporation aims to collect Rs 50 crore in property tax for the current financial year, however, so far, only Rs 34.14 crore has been collected.
In response to this shortfall, the department has intensified the crackdown on defaulters. On the directions of MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh, property tax officials have begun actions, including sealing properties, which have failed to clear their dues. Today, officials from the East Zone took firm action by sealing a hotel, a restaurant, a dairy shop, and a wine shop for non-payment of property tax.
East Zone Superintendent Pradeep Rajput confirmed that the campaign against defaulters is underway. He said his team carried out sealing operations at four locations today. Some defaulters, in a bid to avoid the sealing of their properties, made on-the-spot payments. The establishments sealed include ‘The Secret Garden Restaurant’, a wine shop on Batala Road, Om Residency Hotel near the bus stand and Gurinder Dairy in the same area. Additionally, three shop owners in Sundar Nagar and Tip Top store on Batala Road managed to escape sealing by making immediate payments.
Superintendent Pradeep Rajput further said the sealing operation was carried out by a team comprising Inspectors Satinder Singh and Sukhdev, Clerk Ajit Singh, and support staff members Gautam and Baijnath, along with police personnel.
MC Gulpreet Singh Aulakh urged defaulters to clear their property tax dues to avoid sealing of properties. He said despite several notices, some property owners have failed to comply with their tax obligations. He assured taxpayers that the MC’s Citizen Facilitation Centres (CFCs) at the headquarters and zonal offices would remain open until March 31 to facilitate tax payments.
For the convenience of taxpayers, the MC Commissioner also highlighted the option of making online payments through the official portal. He warned that after March 31, defaulters would be subjected to a 20 per cent penalty along with a 1.5 per cent monthly interest on unpaid amounts.
