OPDR case against over 100 defaulters of holding tax
BHUBANESWAR: With a large chunk of big defaulters delaying their holding tax payment in the state capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has filed cases against more than 100 tax dodgers under Orissa Public Demands Recovery (OPDR) Act to recover the dues.
Sources in BMC said the civic body had set a target of collecting Rs 80 crore towards holding tax in the 2022-23 fiscal. The collection, however, remained around Rs 73 crore. Though the amount collected was the highest ever by the civic body in a financial year, officials said the target of Rs 80 crore could have been easily achieved if all the big defaulters had cleared their dues.
As per the government statistics, at least 293 big defaulters, including 63 who owe Rs 10 lakh or above, had not cleared their dues amounting to Rs 50.93 crore to BMC till early March. Though some of these defaulters have cleared their pending taxes by the end of March, many did not force us to take the legal route. At least 30 OPDR cases have been registered in March alone, while the total number of such cases till the 2022-23 fiscal end will be 105, said a BMC official in the deputy commissioner rank.
However, officials said after the opening of ward-level camps, the civic body improved its holding tax collection for the previous collection. Close to Rs 30 crore holding tax has been collected in February and March, he said.
The officer said after making a budget provision of Rs 690 crore in 2023-24, the civic body is eyeing to collect Rs 500 crore towards different taxes in the new fiscal. Accordingly, it looks to set a target of around Rs 100 crore or above for the fiscal towards holding tax. Revenue wing officials said the target will be finalised after another round of meetings.