Corporation initiates revenue recovery proceedings against property tax defaulters

The Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation is set to initiate revenue recovery proceedings against property tax defaulters with pending payments above ₹1 lakh. The revenue wing of the civic body has identified as many as 760 such cases, and already issued notices to 32 institutions or individuals. The revenue recovery proceedings are being initiated against all defaulters except government buildings and those which are caught in legal tangles.

According to Corporation officials, the proceedings are being launched against those who have failed to respond to multiple notices sent from the Corporation.

“When we looked at the records, we found that there are several buildings with pending property tax payments of more than ₹1 crore. In the past, recovery proceedings were launched in individual cases. This time, we are organising it as a massive campaign. It could even prompt other defaulters to clear their dues. By setting the pending amount above ₹1 lakh, it is ensured that only the well-heeled will be affected,” said an official.

The revenue recovery proceedings will be initiated through the revenue department’s online portal, which is managed by the District Collector. Once the property is attached, the owner will not be able to carry out any kind of transactions regarding the land. In the current year, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has a total property tax demand of ₹107 crore. Among the defaulters against whom the Corporation will not be initiating action at present will be Union and State government buildings, including police stations and schools. Many of the Union government buildings had defaulted on service charges for several years.

In 2021, following a controversy over misappropriation of revenue funds, the Corporation had published ward-wise lists of those who have not paid building taxes to allay the fears of the public. This move had led to many defaulters paying the pending dues, leading to an upshot in the civic body’s revenue collection. One of the steps taken then to intensify tax collection was to identify buildings and mobile towers which have escaped assessment.