So far, as many as 64,000 property owners have availed benefit of the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme to clear their pending tax dues without paying penalty and interest.According to the scheme, owners can avail benefits by depositing property tax by December 31, thus, the municipal corporation (MC) has urged the residents to do so at the earliest.MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi conducted a meeting with the civic body officials at MC zone-D office on Tuesday and issued directions to them to expedite the recovery of property tax and water-sewer user charges from the residents.
As per norms, the residents, who have not paid tax in the past are liable to pay 20% penalty and 18% annual interest on pending property tax. However, under the OTS policy announced by the state government, residents can pay the pending tax in lump sum without penalty and interest till December 31, 2023.
Since the announcement of the OTS scheme in September, over 64,000 property owners have already availed the benefit so far and MC has generated a revenue of around Rs 6.42 crore.
The MC chief said it was a golden opportunity for the residents. Rishi added that the civic body officials had been directed to expedite recovery of dues from the residents. The funds recovered from the residents are used for taking up development works in the city and for providing basic amenities, he said.
To avoid long queues, residents can pay the tax/bills online by visiting the MC’s website – mcludhiana.gov.in . The payment can also be made at MC’s suvidha kendras situated in all four zonal offices.
The MC chief said residents can also avail 10% rebate on payment of water-sewer user charges for the current financial year. The civic body officials stated that bills for the current financial year (2023-24) have already been issued online.