Property tax defaulters will have to pay five-fold

THE INDORE Municipal Corporation (IMC) revenue department has slapped notices on 44 property owners found guilty of under-declaring their landholdings to skimp on taxes during a recent survey.

THE INDORE Municipal Corporation (IMC) revenue department has slapped notices on 44 property owners found guilty of under-declaring their landholdings to skimp on taxes during a recent survey.

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The owners have been given a month’s time to file a reply. “Failure to furnish a satisfactory reply will result in cancellation of self-assessment. Also, fines amounting to five times the tax payable on the property will be levied on the defaulters,” revealed Additional Municipal commissioner (Revenue) K R Jain.

The official, however, admitted that the Corporation had yet to receive any arrears from 66 defaulters who were served notices just over a fortnight ago. But, he added, punitive measures against the errant property owners would have to wait awhile.

“Written replies have been filed by all the property owners issued notices in the first batch. The action to be taken will be decided on an individual basis with each case being dealt on merit,” he added.

It may be recalled that the IMC had served notices to 248 property owners, including Choithram Hospital, marriage gardens and several religious trusts, for fudging details of their landholdings during self-assessment in a bid to dodge property tax.

The notices came in the wake of a physical survey of the sites following a complaint filed by IMC Accounts Committee chairman Rajendra Jaiswal.