The Times of India 18.08.2012
Property tax: Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon all set to respond to SC notice
GURGAON: The municipal corporation has prepared the reply it would file in the Supreme Court next week regarding property tax. The SC had asked the MCG to clarify its stand on this issue after a residents group challenged its decision to impose property tax without providing basic services like water and an efficient sewage system. During a hearing on August 13, the SC had given the MCG 10 days time to file its report and the next hearing is likely to be on August 24.
While the MCG officials are not willing to say what exactly
they will tell the court, sources indicate that the municipal
commissioner has decided that the corporation will continue to issue
house tax assessment notice to even those residents living in private
builder area, even though MCG is currently not providing any services to
them.
"We are ready with our report and we have decided that
we will collect tax from colonizer area as well since it is in
accordance with the state government notification. We are going to
proceed with the present policy that empowers us to levy property tax
all on the property owners in the municipal jurisdiction. And moreover
we are going to use the fund that we collect on welfare and development
projects for the public," said a senior official.
He added,
"Some people seem to be misguiding the general public saying that we
have decided to withdraw the assessment notice that we have issued, but
we want to clarify that this is not true at all, and this is what we are
going to tell the Supreme Court as well. And the other point we are
planning to emphasize is that we are not against the idea of providing
service to those living in private builder area, but we can do so only
if those areas are transferred to us. Moreover we are providing them
services like firefighting as and when they require."
