MC extends OTS scheme deadline now to Aug 15

The deadline for the One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme for property tax recovery has been extended from July 31 to August 15. The extension comes amid efforts to encourage more property owners to clear their dues with the benefit of financial concessions offered under the scheme.

The scheme was implemented in May to provide a major relief to defaulters who are otherwise supposed to pay 20 per cent penalty and 18 per cent interest on the outstanding principal amount of all previous fiscal years.

Until now, the property tax wing of the Municipal Corporation has recovered Rs 12 crore 60 lakh. Last year, the recovery was more than Rs 7 crore. “This year, due to the scheme, several new people came and paid tax,” Superintendent Bhupinder Singh said.

For the dissemination of information regarding OTS scheme, the officials sent messages, played ads on the radio and used social media. “This year, we have received good response and we are hopeful that in the next 15 days, more people will come forward and pay the tax,” Bhupinder Singh said.

The city has 1,85,000 taxable properties including commercial and residential ones. The recovery target for property tax is Rs 75 crore this year.

It may be mentioned that if the tax is not paid, property tax wing officials of the MC also take action against the defaulters. Under the procedure of taking action against defaulters, the inspectors of property tax wing visit different areas to recover the tax. The defaulters who have not paid the tax are served a notice under Section 112 of the Municipal Corporation Act to which they have to file a reply within three days, failing which another notice of sealing the property is served under Section 138 of the Act.