SDMC cracks down on farmhouses for not paying tax

In a crackdown against tax defaulters, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has attached a total of 41 farmhouses which have either submitted incorrect property tax or not submitted at all.

The civic body has intensified its drive for recovery of property tax from the owners of farmhouses who seek exemption from paying it under the provisions of section 115 (1) (i) of Delhi Municipal Corporation Act which state that all vacant lands and buildings, which are in the use for agricultural purposes are exempt from the payment of any kind of property tax.

However, according to tax officials, there is no relief for farmhouses under this provision. Taking action against these, 12 out of the 41 were attached last week. This comes two weeks after the corporation had attached 29 farmhouses which had not paid property tax or submitted incorrect payment.

The drive is being conducted in areas such as Daulatpur, Meraon, Kapashera, Sultanpur, Deramandi and Mehrauli.

Nearly 3,000 notices, in this financial year, have been issued to property owners, who have defaulted in their tax payment and more than 50 bank accounts have been attached.

The officials of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) also said that they have attached 891 bank accounts in this financial year and more than four crore properties, which defaulted on tax payment, have been listed for auction on the website.

“There are around 10 lakh properties in our jurisdiction and only 3.8 lakh are paying taxes,” Additional Commissioner, Revenue, Renu Jagdev said.

Biggest defaulters
Incidentally, Delhi Development Authority, Railways and discoms are some of the biggest defaulters in the areas under the jurisdiction of North corporation.

“DDA has Rs 580 crore in arrears, Railways has Rs 40 crore and have been directed by the court to pay and the case against discoms is in litigation,” Jagdev said.

“According to DDA, they are a government body, but they are not under the consolidated fund of India. We had asked it to pay taxes for the vacant lands they rent for weddings,” she added.