CSMC rolls up its sleeves to collect Rs 365 User Charges from 2024-25

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The municipal corporation has started taking major steps to empower itself financially. In a fresh development, it will be collecting User Charges (Upbogta Kar) of Rs 365 annually from every residential property-owner from the new financial year (2024-25). This new cess is against the service of door-to-door garbage waste collection. Meanwhile, the hospitals having more than 50-beds will have to pay additional charges of Rs 7,300 (against collection of their bio-medical waste).

As reported earlier, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) has decided to levy property tax based on assessment of property on the basis of Annual Rental Value (ARV) from 2024-25. The ARV system is for the properties which are coming under the ambit of property tax for the first time. The implementation of this system will be made from April 1, 2024. As per new tax structure, the residential property-holder will have to pay Rs 5,941 for property built on a 500 square feet area and for the same size of the commercial property, he will have to pay Rs 31,924. The hike in new property tax is not on the old (taxable) properties, but they will also have to pay User Charges from the new financial year. The municipal corporation has already taken the decision of levying User Charges, but the implementation was delayed following strong opposition to it. Now, from the year 2024-25, all the registered properties (2.5 lakh and above) will have to pay Rs 365 the User Charges (Re 1 per day).

Penalty against cheque bounce

Earlier, the CSMC would collect a penalty if any cheque (issued against the payment of tax dues by property-holder), gets dishonoured by the bank. Now, the CSMC has decided to collect a uniform fine amount of Rs 5,000 in each cheque-bounce case, besides action under Section 138 of Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act. Meanwhile, the civic personnel will also be fined Rs 200 if any tampering is made on the cheque by him.