CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Triloki Nath Katare, the President of the Municipal Corporation and Vice President of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, accused the Municipal Corporation of misleading the judiciary and the general public under the guise of offering exemptions on overdue property tax collections. He asserted that the honorable court should take suo motu cognizance of this matter and take action against the Municipal Corporation to provide relief to the city’s residents from this illegal collection.
Katare stated that recently, through a large Lok Adalat organized by the Municipal Corporation, it was announced in newspapers that exemptions would be granted on overdue property tax payments from the previous year. According to the announcement, there was supposed to be a 100% exemption on dues up to Rs. 50,000, a 50% exemption on dues between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 1 lakh, and a 25% exemption on dues above Rs. 1 lakh.
However, taxpayers were shocked when they arrived to pay their overdue property taxes only to be informed that the overdue amount from the previous year had doubled and that only the penalty imposed was being exempted. In this manner, the Municipal Corporation not only misled and economically and mentally exploited the city’s helpless citizens but also completely misled the judiciary in this matter.
Upon inquiry with responsible officials of the Municipal Corporation, it was revealed that the government has a rule that if property taxes are not paid within the current financial year, the property tax rate is doubled for the next financial year, and an additional surcharge is imposed. Consequently, only the surcharge was being exempted. Thus, taxpayers were given minimal exemptions through the Lok Adalat while their overdue property taxes were collected at double the amount.
Katare further mentioned that last year, the government’s portal for tax payments was shut down for approximately eight months, and it was reopened only in the final days of the 2023-24 financial year. Before this, city residents repeatedly visited the Municipal Corporation to pay their taxes, but the Municipal Corporation could not collect their taxes due to the portal being closed. When the portal finally reopened at the end of the financial year, many people were unable to pay their taxes due to the Holi festival and other reasons. A request was made to the Municipal Corporation administration for a one-month extension for tax payments, which was denied.
