Hurdles in tax collection as 85% property ID complaints unresolved
Bijendra Ahlawat
Faridabad, July 29
Complaints of irregularities in around 85 per cent of the property unit IDs generated and uploaded online in the city are yet to be resolved, resulting in a hurdle in the collection of the property tax, according to sources.
As many as 1.6 lakh units out of the 7.15 lakh property units registered alleged irregularities in the details and information about the IDs uploaded on the official portal of the Urban Local Bodies. However, the civic administration was able to rectify around 24,000 of the complaints, according to sources in the Faridabad Municipal Corporation (MCF).
Pending tax dues worth Rs 150 crore
- As many as 1.6 lakh units out of the 7.15 lakh property units registered alleged irregularities in the details and information about the IDs uploaded on the official portal of the Urban Local Bodies.
- However, the civic administration was able to rectify around 24,000 of the complaints, according to sources in the Faridabad Municipal Corporation.
- Complaints regarding the incorrect entry of names, addresses, property details and tax amounts surfaced as soon as the IDs were generated after a survey by a private company about two years ago.
- Though several camps were held by the civic body besides attending the complaints offline on a regular basis, the issues continue to be a cause of concern as a majority of the complaints were not resolved.
- The complaints or errors in the property IDs have hit tax collection, which was just one third of the target, according to sources. The pending tax dues at present are claimed to be around Rs 150 crore.
Complaints regarding the incorrect entry of names, addresses, property details and tax amounts surfaced as soon as the IDs were generated after a survey by a private company about two years ago, according to an official.
Though several camps were held by the civic body besides attending the complaints offline on a regular basis, the issues continue to be a cause of concern as a majority of the complaints were not resolved.
“Around 15 per cent of the complaints have been resolved so far. This is perhaps the major cause behind the poor collection of the taxes,” a former district official said, who added that the pace of rectification was tardy.
Vishnu Goel, an area resident, claimed that the problems had risen mainly due to irregularities in the work of the agency that outsourced the services, as he said the unverified details left residents at the receiving end. An amount of Rs 93,000 was shown as pending dues towards his property against Rs 200, he added.
“The ID of a flat that I had booked was generated even before it was ready for possession,” said Jayshree, a Sector 85 resident. She said though a full refund of the booking amount had been ordered by the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA), the civic body demanded tax on it. The alleged discrepancies in registration are making the residents run from pillar to post,” said Varun Sheokand, a resident. The number of property units rose to 7.15 lakh last year after a survey was conducted.
The complaints or errors in the property IDs have hit tax collection, which was just one third of the target, according to sources. The pending tax dues at present are claimed to be around Rs 150 crore.
Padam Singh Dhanda, a senior MCF official, said efforts were on to address the complaints and channelise the system. Meanwhile, the last date of 15 per cent rebate on the tax arrears and waiving of the interest on the pending amounts has been extended to September 30.
