Govt deadline elapses,MC fails to take note

Last month,giving major relief to local property owners,the Punjab government had ordered reassessment of property tax in Kharar. Taking cognizance of the strong opposition raised over MC’s faulty assessment,Local Government Minister Manoranjan Kalia had intervened to end the three-year-old row.

In an order issued on October 7,the copy of which was duly received at MC office on October 8,Minister had remanded the case to MC Executive Officer Vijay Kumar Gupta while giving him one month to reassess the tax and report.

According to the order,the MC EO was supposed to constitute a three-member committee of elected municipal councillors to record and resolve the objections over the disputed property tax assessment within one month and send the report to the minister expeditiously. The MC EO was also directed to issue an advertisement about the government’s decision and invite the objections of all those aggrieved over the controversial tax levy.

However,till date neither a committee has been formed nor have public objections been invited. In fact,the MC is still issuing inflated bills running into several thousands of rupees to property owners as per the disputed tax assessment.

Asked about the implementation of the order,Gupta said: “It was not any court order,which we are bound to implement in given timeframe. It was a routine government order,which we will put up before the MC House before initiating action on it.”

When reminded that the order specifically gave him a month to reassess and report,Gupta showed no remorse for the delay. “As and when we form a three-member committee,we will the public one-month time to file their objections.”

The bills,which are contrary not only to the government order but also the repeated decisions of MC House,asked the local residents to pay with interest property tax for three consecutive financial years since 2007,leading to widespread resentment.  The bills have been issued to the owners of self-occupied as well as rented properties on the basis of assessment made for 2007-08,which has already been cancelled twice.

In unanimous resolutions adopted on January 15,2009,and March 24,2008,MC House had decided to withdraw the property tax levied on self-occupied property,cancel the property tax assessment for 2007-08 and withdraw the bills issued for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Agreeing with the objection of local residents,the MC House had termed the property tax assessment as “wrong and faulty”. Resolving to continue with the old system of house tax on rented properties with the provision of 10-15 per cent increase on the old assessment,MC House had also recommended fresh assessment through a private technical agency. Till the new assessment was conducted,it was decided to withdraw the property tax bills issued on the basis of cancelled assessment of 2007-08.