Corp Started Punitive Measure For Default Of Tax
The owner of a cinema in the city paid Rs. 2.28 lakh Property Tax dues in one go on Friday when officials and workers of the Coimbatore Corporation set about the task of disconnecting the drinking water line as a punitive measure for default. Corporation officials said teams from the civic body fanned out to different areas across the city with orders from Commissioner Anshul Mishra to disconnect lines of buildings for which Property Tax and water charges had not been paid.
The lines of two cinemas in East Zone were disconnected. One line was cut in South Zone, but the process of disconnecting another was called off after the cinema paid the dues. More establishments were targeted in Friday’s action in two other zones also. The Corporation expected this to force defaulters to pay up. Only last Wednesday did Mr. Mishra tell presspersons that people should realise that tax revenue made up most of the Corporation’s funds that were needed to carry out development works in the city.
With Rs. 69 crore due to the Corporation in tax arrears and Rs. 58 crore as the current year’s target, the Corporation had issued notices to commercial establishments, including cinemas, to pay up. In a move to encourage tax compliance among the people, the Coimbatore Corporation is planning to institute an “Honest Tax Payer Award”. The proposal will be placed in the Council for its approval and the plan is to present the first award on January 26, Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra told presspersons here on Wednesday.
“People should know that tax revenue is essential for the Corporation to carry out development works across the city,” he said. Action such as disconnection of drinking water lines would be taken for default in payment of taxes. “We do not want to cause inconvenience to people, but the Corporation needs revenue,” he explained. The Commissioner said the system of assessing charges for drinking water would be improved to firm up revenue from this source. To make assessment more effective than the manual meter method, the Corporation would buy 60 hand-held data recording computers at Rs. 7.5 lakh. The reading on the meter could be instantly transferred to the Corporation’s main server.
