In another financial blow, the municipal corporation will not be able to charge commercial property tax for the financial year in the 13 recently-included villages of the city. This will cause a fresh loss of Rs 76.11 lakh to the financially-stretched civic body.
The decision against collection of tax from 3,081 commercial properties in these villages was taken by UT administrator V P Singh Badnore at a war room meeting on Thursday.
After the inclusion of 13 villages in the corporation’s jurisdiction last year, the civic body had planned to charge the commercial properties there for the first time this year, and necessary survey was conducted for the purpose. As per the MC records, Daria has maximum 442 commercial properties.
Following closely is Dhanas with 424 such properties, while Behlana has 386. Post their inclusion, the municipal councillors had opposed the proposal to impose commercial tax immediately in these villages.
They were of the view that since these villages are underdeveloped, the MC should first do some developmental works and then charge tax. As the matter was sent to the local bodies department of the administration, it imposed the tax using their discretionary powers.