Third Interest Waiver Scheme For Property Tax Defaulters In Kolkata

Defaulters of tax for their respective Property in Kolkata started paying up their bills at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) offices after an authorised body of the KMC sent senior officers to houses of these defaulters after the 3rd time interest waiver offer on pending property tax which was expired on 1st February. KMC is offering to reduce 50 to 75 % of the total interest. Within a week's period, these sent officer have collected a sum of more than Rs. 5 Lacs. This is being considered a good move taken by the KMC office in Kolkata. The owner of property in Kolkata has to pay the tax in time but some of the taxpayers try avoiding paying these bills. One of the member of the KMC's Revenue office told recently that KMC's civic body, so far, has collected around Rs. 30 crores from this new waiver scheme. The new waiver scheme was implied for third time from this February 1. Mr Majumdar, a member of the KMC office says, “It seems an encouraging move by the KMC office. After sending the officers and others senior officials to the defaulter taxpayers’ places a handsome amount has been recovered.” Municipal commissioner of Kolkata Mr. Arnab Roy has asked these senior officials to keep a track on the major tax defaulters that owe to the KMC Rs 1 Crore or more. He further added that “ only 2 defaulter taxpayers having dues of Rs. 1 Crores and around around 650 defaulters having debts of about Rs. 5 Lacs have payed up their bills. The KMC feels that the habitual defaulters should come forward and avail this tax waiver offer. “It will be good for them if they come forward by themselves. If they do not do so, we will take strict measures against them. They have politely asked the defaulters and owners of the property in Kolkata to pay up their dues in time. They have prepared a list of defaulters that have yet to pay their dues without adding the interest of the prime amount. They are also in a process to paste posters on the walls of their properties asking them to pay the due bill. If they fail to pay by the deadline for the tax waiver offer, they willl raid their property in Kolkata . The Records registered in the KMC office glimpse that the KMC civic body earned Rs 157 Crore from the 2001's tax waiver offer. In the year 2004, the tax waiver scheme was applied again by the KMC, and this time they collected around Rs 250 crore. In the second time many major tax defaulters applied for the second offer. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation sweated a lot in convincing the Chief Minister and the Governor of the state, for the 3rd term of the tax waiver scheme. Officials of Finance Ministry department of the state asked the KMC that not more than 50% interest on the pending property tax should be waived off. But even this was such a relief for the owners of the property in Kolkata who have their taxes due.