E-Paper
Property tax evasion: Ludhiana MC tightening noose on defaulters
The notices are being served through Ludhiana MC’s zonal offices and the recipients are being asked to either submit the pending amount along with penalty or show proof of payment.
The Ludhiana municipal corporation has started the process of issuing notices to 25,000 property owners in the city for alleged tax evasion.
The notices are being served under two categories - for failing to submit property tax with MC since it was imposed in 2013-14; or evading tax by listing the property under the wrong category.
Officials said they started serving the notices last week based on directions of additional commissioner Rishipal Singh after scrutiny of data. This is the first phase of putting property tax defaulters on notice and scrutiny of remaining records is currently underway, an official said.
The notices are being served through MC’s zonal offices and the recipients are being asked to either submit the pending amount along with penalty or show proof of payment. An MC official, requesting anonymity, said a number of residents have complained that they have filed tax properly, but notices have still been issued against their properties.
A senior official said the notices have been served after thorough scrutiny of records and if it has been issued to any resident wrongfully, they should submit proof with MC.
An official on condition of anonymity alleged that with civic elections in the city right around the corner, MLAs and councillors have been mounting pressure on MC to stop serving notices, as it may negatively affect their vote bank.
There are a total 4.3 lakh properties in the city, as per the last survey conducted by MC around five years back. As per sources, the civic body will conduct a fresh survey soon in an attempt to catch tax defaulters.
