Large-scale evasion of property tax by owners of farmhouses has come to the notice of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
False claims
On Thursday, the SDMC said it had issued over 1,000 notices to defaulters. The SDMC’s Assessment and Collection Department had formed teams to carry out door-to-door inspections of farmhouses and hand out notices to property tax defaulters on the spot. From May 12 till date, the SDMC has surveyed 1,935 farmhouses and issued 1,140 notices.
“Large-scale property tax evasion has been unearthed,” the SDMC said in a statement. Officials said that many people claim to have agricultural activity going on at farmhouses, which is why they shouldn’t be charged property tax. But since many of these claims were found to be false, the SDMC is photographing all such premises.
Ram Mohan Singh, SDMC Additional Commissioner (Taxes), said the surveys would be carried out across South Delhi. Mr. Singh added that hefty fines would be levied on those evading property tax. Property tax is one of the biggest sources of revenue for the civic body with collections from farmhouses contributing a big chunk.
In 2014-2015, the SDMC had issued notices to 2,000 farmhouses. Over 100 farmhouses have also been attached.
In 2014-15, the SDMC had issued notices to 2,000 farmhouses and over 100 of them have been attached
