Three traders pay Rs 32 lakh in LBT raids

Friday, 20 December 2013 09:05 administrator
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The Times of India              20.12.2013 

Three traders pay Rs 32 lakh in LBT raids

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) recently raided shops and business establishments of three traders for evasion of Local Body Tax and recovered dues worth Rs 32.30 lakh. The PCMC had sought approval from the state government for conducting the raids.

Municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi on Thursday said the civic body had decided not to take severe legal action against traders not paying LBT. After waiting for eight months for traders to pay the LBT, it was found that a majority of the traders have not registered or have registered for LBT payment but are paying lesser than the actual LBT.

The civic body has prepared a list of traders who were major VAT and octroi payers. However, it was found that some traders were paying less LBT than the earlier octroi amount. In the first phase, it prepared a list of 13 defaulters and sent a proposal to the state government seeking approval for a raid

. After the state government's approval, the corporation raided a furniture trader in Nigdi, an industrial unit in Bhosari, and a motorcycle dealer in Chinchwad.

"The civic body has documentary evidence to prove that these three traders have evaded LBT and it will produce them before the court if they approach the court against us," Pardeshi said.

The civic body has earned LBT of Rs 566.30 crore till November 30 in this fiscal year while it had earned octroi of Rs 776 crore in the corresponding period, last year. It has started distributing LBT certificates and literature to the traders and is conducting a hearing of 2,407 traders who have not paid any LBT or those who have paid less LBT than their octroi payments.

Bands to shame property tax defaulters

Pune: Like the Pune Municipal Corporation, bands in Pimpri Chinchwad will start playing music outside properties whose owners are property tax defaulters. Municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said the property tax department will launch a special drive to recover property tax arrears by using the musical bands. Ten music band groups will be employed for the drive.