Team Herald
VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council has decided to tighten the noose on tax defaulters. In a public noticed issued recently, MMC Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes has appealed to the residents to pay their house tax, trade tax, signboards and other dues to the Mormugao Municipality before April 27 failing which the MMC would take coercive steps to recover the dues including making names of big defaulters public.
“Recently, I had asked my staff to provide details of outstanding dues and it was surprising to note that the municipality has about Rs 40 crore outstanding dues (as on March 2018) which also includes all Rs 26 crore pending dues from HPCL and IOCL oil companies (lease rent matter pending in court) having their petroleum storage tanks and other facility on the Municipal land,” Fernandes said.
He said that as per the outstanding dues list (as on March 2018) prepared by Municipal staffs, it is learnt that Rs 3.22 crore is pending towards house tax, Rs 1.33 crore pending towards trade tax, Rs 35 lakhs is pending towards signboards, Rs 34.56 crore is pending towards the rent and Rs 50.20 crore is pending towards sopo tax and the total of all outstanding dues is nearly Rs 40 crore.
“People are prompt in paying telephone, water and electricity bills however when it comes to paying house tax, trade tax or rent then they are not forthcoming. By way of issuing public notice I want to give them another opportunity and it is my sincere request to the residents that they should come forward and if there is any dispute then they can approach me to readdress their grievances in writing or should pay the dues under protest and I will try to resolve their issue if any,” Fernandes claimed.
Outstanding dues are adding up every year and as on March 2018 the figure has reached to Rs 40 crore. To recover the amount MMC decided to tighten the noose on defaulters and therefore it has been decided by the MMC Chief Officer that names of big defaulters who have defaulted in payment for more than 2 years will be displayed on the notice board and at the prominent places after April 27.
