AMC settles property tax disputes

Aurangabad, Nov 24:

Here is good news as the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has started resolving disputes relating to property taxes. There are around 17,000 cases that were pending with the civic administration for the past three decades. Hence the AMC's property tax to the tune of crores of rupees was left unrecovered.

The three-member committee appointed by the administrator has settled 26 cases through a hearing. They will soon go through 100 more cases put up for settlement before them.

The tax collection ratio is unsatisfactory for the past 8-10 years. Hence the administrator ordered the additional commissioner B B Nemane, assessor and collector of tax (ACT) Aparna Thete and the ward officer concerned to conduct the hearing on such disputes and settle them on priority.

83 cases of Zone II

The AMC has appointed one competent officer in each zone to increase the collection of taxes in his jurisdiction. The committee has alerted them to forward disputed cases to them by the end of September. Hence the Zone II officer has forwarded 83 files for hearing.

It may be noted that the property tax disputes include levy of heavy tax due to wrong assessment of property; the residential place has been mentioned as commercial property; double tax has been levied on single property etc.