Himachal: Civic body considering ‘name and shame’ move for tax recovery

Himachal Pradesh: Municipal Corporation Shimla has decided to make public the names of property tax defaulters on its website and display boards. According to the corporation, more than 2,000 families are still not paying property tax to the corporation, many of whose households have not paid the dues for the last few years. The directions were passed during a meeting held recently under the chairmanship of Municipal Commissioner Bhupendra Atri. During the meeting, it was revealed that more than 2,000 families have not paid property tax to the corporation and are not making the payment despite notices being issued.

It was also informed that there are about 500 shopkeepers who have not paid the rent of municipal corporation shops. The Municipal Commissioner directed the concerned officials to issue fresh notices to the defaulters. He said that the above action will be taken in case of non-payment of dues. Apart from this, the officials were also directed to seal the shops of those shopkeepers who have not paid the rent to the corporation even after receiving notices. Earlier, the corporation had issued a notice to the property tax defaulters warning them that if they fail to deposit the outstanding property tax within the stipulated time, their water and electricity supply would be disconnected.