MC issues notices to educational trusts

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 19

While tightening the noose around various educational trusts having long-pending house tax arrears worth crores, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has issued notices to them to clear their dues with immediate effect.

Talking to The Tribune, a senior official said many trusts were “investing” the profit of one institute into another and later seeking relaxation in taxes by terming themselves as charitable trusts.

“They are ‘siphoning off’ the profit of one institute and putting it in another, thus showing zero profit of the trust. As we have assessed every single property individually, we have informed them to pay the house tax of each of their property separately,” said the official.

The MC is yet to recover house tax arrears worth Rs 25 crore which majorly include educational trusts. Sources have also said that some of the trusts have shown less built-up area and have now come under the Local Government scanner.

Sources also said that the department had directed senior officials of the MC to conduct an ‘on-ground’ survey of some prominent properties to assess the actual built-up area.

It is pertinent to mention here that though the state government had given a huge relief to the educational institutes by lowering the property tax slab for them, some of the institutes are still fighting to waive off the pending arrears of the house tax that ended in 2013.