Team Herald
PONDA: Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) Chief Officer Navanath Naik formed a team of Municipal officials and employees who will visit every tax defaulter to recover the outstanding tax arrears of past years. Sources said the amount pending is Rs 4.19 crore in the form of house tax, trade, Sopo tax, licence renewal fees, rent, sanitation fees, etc.
Navanath appealed to the defaulters to co-operate with the Council and pay the fees on time failing which the PMC would be forced to initiate legal procedures to recover the taxes. The Municipal team consist of 10 members, including Arun Naik Head Clerk. The chief officer directed the committee members to visit from June 18 all commercial institutions who are running without licence/not renewed licences; who have not taken permission for sign boards and all those who have not paid the house tax and sanitation fees,
A maximum tax recovery of Rs 1.65 crore is expected of house tax, followed by Rs 1 crore rent from PMC shops, property, etc, The pending sopo arrears is Rs 69 lakh from Ponda market vendors, while Rs 36.24 lakh is to be recovered from trade licence. Sanitation tax of Rs 32.18 lakh and sign board tax of Rs 17.84 lakh is also outstanding with the total arrears touching almost Rs 4.19 crore.
There are about 14,000 residential units, including flats, in the PMC jurisdiction.
