The Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC) has surpassed the property tax collection target declared in the budget for 2022-23 fiscal. This year, MC collected Rs 1.95 crore excess against targeted property tax of Rs 22 crore. The civic body collected Rs 23.95 crore property tax by December, with three months still to go for the financial year to end.
MC commissioner Navjot Kaur said that the civic body had already collected Rs 22 crore property tax from defaulters by September this year. The target collection of property tax announced in the budget allocated for the 2022-23 fiscal, as approved by the Punjab government for Mohali MC, was Rs 22 crore.
MC commissioner Navjot Kaur said, “Budget of property tax for the current financial year is Rs 22 crore, approved by the government and collection is Rs 23.95 crore till December 20. The budget target has been achieved and it is a record achievement for the MC. Collection was only Rs 14.25 crore till the corresponding period last year.”
She said that this year, the MC sealed defaulters’ units, prompting commercial property owners to deposit pending property tax. She also said that the MC put up property tax collection camps at MIA Bhawan, Industrial Area, community centers in sectors 61, 69 and 70, simplifying the process.
In March this year, the Mohali MC allocated Rs 28 crore as the property tax collection target, but Punjab local bodies department imposed a cut of Rs 25.2 crore in the budget for the 2022-23 fiscal. MC proposed Rs 27 lakh surplus budget of Rs 161.27 crore which was reduced to Rs 136.07 crore after the cut.
However, the MC is still to collect Rs 13 crore property tax from various defaulters in Mohali. Greater Mohali Area development Authority (Gmada) and the police department are among major property tax defaulters.
Gmada owes Rs 6.5 crore and the police department owes Rs 2.75 crore as property tax to the MC. The civic body also issued a “demi official” letter to Gmada and police headquarter for recovery of property tax, said MC commissioner Navjot Kaur.
“Government buildings in Mohali are major defaulters of property tax as all such establishments owe approximately Rs 12 crore to the MC. We have finally issued a demi official letter to police headquarters, deputy commissioner office and Greater Mohali Area Developmental Authority (GMADA) for default in depositing property tax,” she said. The MC has to recover around Rs 13 crore property tax from 7,826 defaulters.
