PONDA: The Ponda Municipal Council (PMC), which is going through arguably its worst financial crisis yet, has initiated a drive to collect property tax from citizens who have given their flats or shops on rent within the civic body’s jurisdiction.
Invoking Section 110 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, which states how the rateable value of rental property tax is to be determined, PMC’s chief officer YogirajGosavi said that in a bid to meet its administrative expenses, the municipality has decided to collect a month’s rent for flats and shops that have been rented out.
Although several landlords have signed leave and license agreements for their properties, just a handful pay a month’s rent to the civic body as rental property tax. To tackle this, Gosavi said the PMC has begun identifying properties that have been rented and will move to recover the appropriate tax.
“We had written to housing societies seeking details about flats given on rent by their owners. While four societies have provided the necessary information, several others have not. Unless these societies cooperate, it will be difficult to know which owners have rented their flats,” he said, while urging the societies’ office-bearers to help the PMC generate revenue so that residents may receive better facilities.
“Unlike flats, it is easy to identify shops that are given on rent because the respective owners visit the council annually to get their trade licences renewed,” Gosavi said. He also called for a proper tenant verification system within the PMC’s jurisdiction.