The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) will start cracking the whip on property owners for defaulting on payments of tax. Senior officials said property tax defaulters owe 2-3 crore to the civic body.
While the deadline for paying the property tax for 2023-24 was over on July 31, SCB tax wing officials said nearly 2,000 taxpayers are yet to clear their property tax bills.
SCB officials decided to issue notices to the property tax defaulters under section 100 of the Cantonment Act, 2006. As per the Act, “If a person on whom a notice of demand has been served, does not pay the sum within 30 days from the service of notice, he/she shall be liable to pay 1% penalty in addition to the sum.”
Chief executive officer D Madhukar Naik will approve the notices once the SCB officials prepare them after incorporating the monthly interest on property tax bills.
“The total property tax which was supposed to pay within the deadline of the demand notice will be calculated along with 100 as demand notice charge and 1% interest as per section 102(1) of the Cantonment Act,” a tax wing official told STOI.
If the taxpayer ignores the notices, a warrant of distress/attachment will be issued after seeking the approval of the SCB CEO, warned an official.
Defaulters can pay dues through e-Chhawani portal. In case they fail to pay through the portal, the taxpayers can pay in cash at the counters in the SCB main office.
Accordingly, the tax records will be updated automatically and once the taxpayers clear their dues, software will turn green. Otherwise, it will be in red, said an official.