Notices are sent to 2.4 lakh property tax defaulters by the Nashik civic authority.

NASHIK: With a combined debt of over Rs470 crore, the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) property tax department has given letters to 2.4 lakh defaulters.

The NMC has instructed the defaulters to pay their taxes within 15 days; if they don’t, the civic organization will begin the warrant-issuing process.

For the current fiscal year (2023–24), the local body has set a target of Rs 210 crore for property tax collection. Municipal Commissioner Ashok Karanjkar has given the property tax department till December 31 to accomplish this objective.

In light of this, the property tax agency has begun pursuing tax defaulters. Notices have been sent to 2.37 lakh tax defaulters who owe the civic body Rs 5,000 or more in the first phase.

The civic body’s Panchavati division has the most defaulters.

Panchavati has 59,961 defaulters with outstanding debt totaling Rs 124.11 crore. In the meantime, from April 1 and October 22, the civic body’s property tax collection increased by 25%.

During the current fiscal year, the civic body has collected Rs 130 crore towards property tax, compared to Rs 104 crore during the same period the previous year.

The most property tax money ever collected by the civic body in its forty years of existence was Rs 188 crore, which was collected during the most recent financial year.

The civic body is required by the 15th Finance Commission’s rules to collect property tax in the amount of Rs 210 crore. Once the NMC reaches the property tax collection objective, it will only be eligible for a government grant under the 15th Finance Commission. Because of the high number of defaulters, the civic body has taken the matter of unpaid property taxes seriously.

Over 5.3 lakh properties are registered with the civic authorities among the city’s six divisions.