GHMC begins serving ‘distress warrants’ on property tax defaulters

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation head office in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: File photo

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is strapping its boots to intensify its property tax collection, the most prominent source of revenue for the civic body.

In view of the impending financial year-end, the corporation’s Revenue wing is cracking the whip against tax defaulters in order to fill the gap between targeted revenue and the actuals.

Circle-level officials have received instructions from the higher authorities to issue distress warrants against top defaulters – starting from Saturday, as a warning before the property is seized.

Every day, top five defaulters in each circle will be given the distress warrants, shared officials. Already, 100 warrants have been served. After the warrants, the property tax assessees will be given a week’s time for the payment of dues, after which the property will be sealed by the GHMC officials.

The government is the major defaulter in most circles, with tax dues over government properties running into a whopping ₹5,500-6,000 crore.

GHMC Commissioner K. Ilambarithi reportedly instructed the tax officials not to serve distress notices to schools and hospitals, in view of the ongoing exams and emergency services. Rather, he asked them to visit the premises and ask the managements to clear the dues.

For the 19.4 lakh property tax assessees, only about 12.5 lakh paid the tax so far this year.

The GHMC’s tax collection stood at ₹1,917 crore last year, and the Revenue wing is determined to cross the ₹2,000 mark this year. The collection so far stands at about ₹1,500 crore, with just over a month left for meeting the target.

During January, the corporation issued notices to six lakh property tax defaulters asking them to clear the dues immediately.