North body cracks whip on tax defaulters
NEW DELHI: The property tax department of North Delhi Municipal Corporation has attached bank accounts and properties of over 1,300 commercial units for failing to clear property tax dues.
The assessment and collection department of the North Corporation attached 648 accounts and 670 properties of defaulters over the last few weeks.
Additional commissioner B M Mishra said the department had served notices to these defaulters as per rules to clear their dues several time in past.
“But no reply came from them forcing us to take the step as a last resort. Most of the defaulters are running commercial establishments and not paid property tax for over 10 years. These defaulters owe an average amount of ₹ 20 crore to them,” said Mishra.
A senior North Corporation official said that the list of defaulters was complied on the basis of information provided by the field staff or through previous bills of these commercial units.
As per Delhi Municipal Corpo- ration Act, the civic agency is authorised to realise the due amount by attaching the bank accounts or selling the movable or immovable assets of the alleged defaulters.
However, the municipal corporation department waited for defaulters reply for at least three months before starting the procedure to attach properties and bank accounts, said a senior civic official.
After the implementation of unit area method by unified MCD in 2004, it became the responsibility of the property owner or occupier to self assess the property tax of his or her property and deposit due amount with the corporation within due date.
Under the system, tax is assessed on the basis of six components— unit area value per square metre, covered area of property,age, use, structure, occupancy and flat factors.
“But people were evading taxes and this has not forced us to take strict action. It is a lesson for others too, to submit their property tax along with arrears else we can take such strict measures to realise the amount,” said the North Corporation official.