GHMC Steps Up Action Against Tax Defaulter
The CURE area covers 28.08 lakh properties, of which around 17 lakh have paid their tax.
Hyderabad: A crackdown has begun in the Core Urban Region (CURE) on properties that have undervalued their property tax and on commercial establishments with pending arrears, several of which have already been sealed.
The CURE area covers 28.08 lakh properties, of which around 17 lakh have paid their tax. Among the 28,80,260 properties, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounts for 11,45,321, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC) for 9,43,432, and Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation (MMC) for 7,91,507. The special drive spans 2,053 sq km across the three civic bodies.
Officials said three major discrepancies were detected. First, property owners undervalue tax through self-assessment on websites and mobile apps by entering less plinth areas. Second, additional floors built are not brought under the tax net. Third, residential properties used commercially continue to be taxed at lower residential slabs.
“To curb this, we are mapping property tax identification numbers (PTINs) with unique service connections (USCs) of Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL),” a GHMC official said.
Six establishments have already been sealed for arrears, with their names released publicly. Meanwhile, a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme offering a 90 per cent rebate on interest for pending dues is in force until March 31.
These included Katriya Hotel on Raj Bhavan Road with dues of Rs.6.16 crore pending since 2017; Swarna Transport in Goshamahal Rs.36 lakh and Shamim Sultana Cloth Mall in Banjara Hills Road No. 10 Rs.35.27 lakh. Hotel Belsons Taj Mahal in Kalasiguda, Secunderabad, was issued with a warrant notice but it cleared Rs.33.52 lakh arrears immediately. Following this the establishment was not sealed.
The other establishments sealed include Aurora College in Nampally with Rs.1.28 crore arrears since 2016; Synfosys Business Solutions in Nagarjuna Circle with Rs.17.94 lakh due since 2012 and Sony Centre, Goshamahal, with Rs.39.68 lakh due since 2018.