The Hindu 05.03.2014
Amnesty scheme for Howrah municipal tax payers
Similar to the scheme offered by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation
In a bid to mop up the Rs.550-crore tax arrears piled up
at the Howrah Municipal Corporation, the Mamata Banerjee government has
decided to introduce an amnesty scheme under which penalty and interest
dues would be waived for the next six months.
“We
have decided to waive the penalty and interest due for all municipal tax
assesses in a waiver scheme for Howrah Municipal Corporation. This is
similar to the scheme offered by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation,”
Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim told reporters at the makeshift
secretariat at Nabanna in Howrah.
The scheme took
effect from Tuesday. The KMC scheme offered 90 per cent waiver that
helped to mop up around Rs.400 crore, Mr. Hakim said.
The
announcement coming ahead of the Lok Sabha election aims at recovering
around Rs.200 crore (principal) which fell due since 1993-94.
Howrah
Mayor Rathin Chakraborty said the number of defaulters had risen to 65
per cent and the scheme would help to regularise dues.
