The Kozhikode Corporation is on a mission to collect the tax dues of ₹88 crore by the end of the financial year. With thousands of people defaulting on their property tax payments for years, the Corporation needs to collect around ₹45 crore in terms of fines up to March 2024 while the actual tax amount from April 2024 to March 2025 is only around ₹43 crore.
There are around 2.64 lakh buildings including houses and establishments in the city. Some have tax dues that amount to ₹5 lakh and more. The Corporation has made a list of its owners and plans to contact them directly urging them to pay the dues.
The defaulters include those who are settled abroad but maintain property in the city. However, the fine is hefty and multiplies by 2% per month.
Meanwhile, the Corporation has issued notices to all defaulters urging them to pay the dues. However, there have been several complaints that the notices were served to several people, including families of soldiers and freedom fighters who have been excluded from the taxes.
Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafar Ahamed said in a recent meeting of the Corporation Council that such issues would be dealt with in the adalat to be held in February.
The Corporation plans to set up a help desk to facilitate the payment of dues. Taxpayers can either pay it online through the Ksmart application or directly at the Corporation office. The Corporation expects that at least 70% of the dues will be remitted by the end of the financial year.
Published - January 30, 2025 09:08 pm IST
