Hyderabad: Secretariat building tops tax default list

HYDERABAD: The secretariat building is the biggest defaulter of property tax in Hyderabad and owes the GHMC 391.8 crore - pending for the last 13 years. Not too far behind is Niloufer Hospital that last paid taxes 21 years ago. It has not paid 230 crore. Next up - Central Jail that has 77.7 crore dues.
These findings, retrieved through a RTI filed by the Forum for Good Governance (FGG), gain significance in the backdrop of the the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's (GHMC) recent meeting where its chief, DS Lokesh Kumar, announced that the civic body has taken a "liberal stand" in collecting taxes.
But while the civic body might be mulling to write off these dues, activists aren't happy with the decision. They demand that the government set an example for other citizens to follow.
"We are not expecting the GHMC commissioner to take any coercive measures against government institutions. Rather, we expect him to sit across the table and bring in a One Time Scheme (OTS) to settle the dues," said Padmanabha Reddy, general secretary of FGG.
Incidentally, state government undertakings, collectively, owe the civic body 306 crore in property tax arrears. This includes the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, (it owes 11.1 crore for the last four years), metro station properties (20 crore for the last five years) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (69.9 crore).
There's also sports complexes and stadiums that figure among the defaulters list, under the state government undertakings, with 58.4 crore pending for nine years.
As per the finance commission recommendations, governments are supposed to allocate 40% of their budget to the urban local bodies.
"However, GHMC stands neglected in allocations and in getting its taxes. The amount owed makes a huge difference in the financial situation of the civic body," Padmanabha Reddy added.