Property owners in a bind over ‘dues notice’ from Corporation

Property owners, who have already paid underground drainage charges, are shocked over receiving notice from Tiruchi Corporation.

Since the upward revision of property tax, which came into effect in last July, the Corporation is paying special attention to collecting taxes. Besides informing the revised tax amount to the property owners, the bill collectors of all five zones visit each and every house to ensure the payment of tax. They also pay attention to collecting pending taxes, including water and underground drainage user charges.

More than 60% of the property owners are said to have paid their taxes along with the dues. However, it is alleged that the Corporation had recently issued notices to many property owners who had already paid all relevant taxes, stating that UGD charges had been pending for several years. Many had received notices that UGD user charges were unpaid since 2013-14. They had been asked to clear the dues within three days.

While the notices have shocked several property owners, who had already cleared the taxes, several others are in a fix on whether to pay them or not. There were residents who visited the offices of the Corporation and proved their claims by showing the receipts. “I have already paid all taxes and user charges to the Corporation. But I have received a notice that I am yet to pay the UGD charges. It is surprising,” said a flat owner of an apartment complex in Anna Nagar.

He said that he had produced the bills and receipts to a bill collector. After checking them, she indicated that the notice would be deemed to be cancelled. There was no issue to him as he had preserved the receipts. The owners, who failed to preserve them had been visiting the offices to stake their claim.

When contacted, a senior official of the Corporation told The Hindu that a section of property owners had encountered some issues since the upgradation of a server recently. The issue had almost been sorted out. The affected persons could visit their respective offices to air their grievances. Action would be taken on them immediately.