As part of intensifying tax collection drive, the trichy corporation has started putting up tax notices in form of wall posters outside the properties of bulk defaulters. Residential and commercial properties that have huge dues, including accumulated tax arrears over the past few years, have been targeted in the drive.
Officials said that around 500 properties have been identified for putting up notices, mostly properties in zone I and III.
The posters mention the name of the property owner, address, ward number and outstanding dues, including property tax, water consumption charges, professional tax and vacant land tax.
“So far, around 115 posters have been fixed.
The drive has already made an impact with a section of defaulters remitting dues on seeing the posters put up on properties of neighbours,” a corporation official said.
Properties that have outstanding dues in the range of 1 lakh to 5 lakh were mainly targeted in the drive, and a few residential properties with dues ranging between 30,000 and 90,000 were also focussed.
While some of the residents have opined that they felt offended by the posters mentioning the dues and ‘tarnishing their image,’ a section of owners, which was once reluctant, is settling the dues now.
The properties identified for putting up posters were given multiple opportunities in the past, but did not settle the outstanding, officials said.
The total tax demand of Trichy corporation comprising property tax, water charges and professional tax was estimated at 196.1 crore for the financial year of 2022-23. Although the urban local body has collected 42% of annual property tax for the financial year as of November 2022, the highest among urban local bodies in the state excluding Chennai, revenue officials said the momentum has to be sustained to collect all dues before March 2023.
