MCD unlikely to resume property tax collection from June 1

The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) will not resume property tax collection from June 1.

The tax section of the corporation was closed for the public since the middle of March due to Covid-19 pandemic due to which many property tax payers of the city have not submitted their property tax.

In the recent executive committee meeting of MCD, Dehradun municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey had said that the corporation will resume the tax collection in MCD's premises from June 1. Pandey had stated at that time that locals who could not submit the tax due to Covid-19 lockdown would be able to submit it with 20 per cent rebate till June 15. However, the number of positive cases of novel coronavirus has escalated in the state in the last few days and resuming the tax collection in MCD's compound can be risky in the currently sensitive situation.

Pandey said that situations are not favourable right now and besides the public is not allowed in the corporation's building as per the guidelines issued by the State Government.

 "If the situation gets better around here and we get the permission from state and district administration, we will resume the tax collection soon," added Pandey.

He also informed that MCD will ensure that everyone follows the safety protocols like social distancing, the use of masks and sanitisers during the operation of the tax section for locals.

 Besides, MCD tax superintendent informed that those taxpayers who could not deposit the property tax by March will have to submit the property tax of two years because the financial year of MCD has begun from April 1. However, the rebate of 20 per cent would still be applicable on the tax of the current financial year too, the tax superintendent added.

 It is pertinent to mention here that MCD has collected about Rs 44 crore in property tax from residential and non-residential property taxpayers and as mentioned by Pandey earlier, the rebate of 20 per cent would be approved only for the first 15 days for the remaining taxpayers from the financial year 2019-2020.