Locked income: civic body plans motivational allowance to law officers

The assistant legal officers working with the civic legal department,specially for the purpose of fighting the cases related to recovery of property tax,will be given motivational allowance if they encourage and convince the property owner to pay 100 per cent or 80 per cent of the tax.

“Even if the property tax cases are disputed,the court directs the owners to pay some part of the tax amount to BMC. Many a time these cases go on for years resulting in waste of time,energy and money for both the civic body as well as owners. We therefore want to encourage the owners to either pay the full amount of the tax or 80 per cent so that the case will be then withdrawn,” a senior official from the property tax department said. “Those assistant legal officers who are able to convince the owners to pay up the amount will be given motivational allowance.”

The assistant legal officers thus stand to gain anywhere between Rs 7,500 and Rs 1.07 lakh if they are able to encourage the property owner with disputed cases to pay the tax to BMC.

“The aim is to solve these cases on fast track and help BMC in getting money from locked income,” the civic administration said in a proposal tabled with the civic standing committee. The proposal is scheduled for discussion and approval on Friday.