Over 70,000 property tax defaulters in Pimpri-Chinchwad
3 Aug, 2012Reply by the property tax department of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has shown that more than 70,000 property holders in Pimpri-Chinchwad of Maharashtra have not paid their property tax dues, amounting to over Rs 400 crores, in the past 10 years. This includes the dues for the year 2012-13.
Pimpri-Chinchwad has 2.96 lakh properties out of which nearly 2.43 lakh are residential, while the remaining are commercial. The reply has shown that:-
- 39 defaulters have dues over Rs 50 lakh each, with the total arrears running into Rs 146.18 crore;
- 44 defaulters have dues in the range of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh each with the total arrears amounting to Rs 14.73 crore;
- 136 defaulters have dues in the range of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, totaling Rs 20.47 crore in arrears;
- 256 defaulters owe Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh each;
- 3,183 owe Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh;
- 4,760 defaulters owe Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh each;
- 62,085 defaulters owe dues ranging from Rs 5,000 to 50,000 and the total arrears amounts to Rs 113.65 crore.
It has come to light that the total arrears till 31st March this year was Rs. 285.85 crore out of which Rs. 32.54 crore have been recovered till 29th July. Out of the remaining Rs. 253 crore, nearly Rs 61 crore is locked in court cases and the recoverable amount has been claimed to be only Rs. 71 crore.
The status of tax recovery remains similar in most parts of India which points to a need to conduct an inquiry to take action against the defaulting companies that have closed down.