May 31 rebate deadline nearing, but 66% owners yet to pay property tax in Chandigarh
Over 64% of the residential property owners and around 67% commercial property owners in Chandigarh have yet to pay the tax.
With hardly a week to go before the municipal corporation (MC) starts imposing penalties for non-payment of property tax from June 1, only 34% of the property owners in Chandigarh have come forward to pay the tax.
Over 64% of the residential property owners and around 67% commercial property owners have yet to pay the tax.
There are around 1.36-lakh property tax assessees in Chandigarh. But only around 48,000 have paid the tax, totalling around ₹24.40 crore, since financial year 2022-2023 started.
Among the 1.06-lakh residential property owners, the tax has been submitted by around 38,000, while 68,000 owners have yet to pay up.
In the commercial segment, of the around 30,000 total assessees, only 10,000 have cleared tax due for the year.
Commenting on slow payment of property tax, a senior municipal official said, “Most tax payers come forward in the last few days of tax rebate deadline. We are expecting more people to pay up just before the May 31 deadline.”
This fiscal, the civic body had widened its property tax base by adding over 2,900 new commercial tax payees in 13 villages.
As per estimates, at 440, Daria has the highest number of eligible commercial tax payees, followed by Dhanas with 430, Behlana 386, Raipur Khurd 250, Mauli Jagran 245, Kishangarh, Makhan Majra and Khuda Alisher 200 each, Khuda Jassu and Khuda Lahora 180 each, Kaimbwala 150, Raipur Kalan 110 and Sarangpur 105.
Though the MC General House had rejected the proposal for tax levy at these villages, the administration had directed its imposition in 2020. But it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Until these villages were under the administration’s purview, no property tax was levied.
In addition to the commercial properties in 13 villages, MC, for the first time, is also collecting property tax from around 16,000 houses in EWS colonies in Chandigarh. All houses 500 square feet or above come under tax purview.