Curation Team
CHANDIGARH: After completing the due formalities, paperwork and issuing related orders, the UT Municipal Corporation has started sending property tax bills to taxpayers as per the revised rates — threefold hike for residential and twofold for commercial properties, as notified and implemented by the Chandigarh Administration for the current financial year.
The civic body has sent most of the property or service charge-related bills to govt-owned properties, and has now started the process of sending the same to residential and commercial establishments. About 1.42 lakh properties fall under the ambit of property tax, so bills are being printed accordingly.
Sources said instead of roping in the India Post Office, which the MC used to in the past, it has started distributing the property tax bills on its own using its staff. The distribution is in full swing, with the MC aiming to send all bills in the next seven to 10 days. This will help the taxpayers deposit their tax amount well in time to take advantage of the rebate on residential and commercial properties, the sources added.
Taxpayers will get a rebate of 20% on residential properties and 10% on commercial ones if they pay their taxes within the given rebate period of two months, April and May. If they fail to do so in the stipulated period, they will have to cough up a 25% penalty on the entire amount of their calculated property tax, and will also have to pay 12% interest on the same. It is for this reason that the authority is expecting a decent property tax collection in the first two months of the ongoing fiscal.
MC governing party’s assurances fall flat
According to MC records, it has received Rs 2 crore in property tax from this April 1 to date. Though BJP, which governs the MC, has long been assuring taxpayers of stepping up the pressure on the UT administration to bring down the revised property tax rates, it has not been able to bring them any respite so far. The UT BJP chief, city Mayor and BJP councillors also called on senior officials of the Chandigarh Administration, but to no avail.
