Arun Singh
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 11: The callousness on the part of Urban Local Bodies in executing their duties has severely caused huge loss of revenue to the department by not maintaining proper records of levy and collection of trade/ professional tax annually from traders within the Municipal limits.
Sources told Early Times that as per Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000 and Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000 which provides levy and collection of trade, professional tax annually from traders within the Municipal limits at rates notified by the ULBs.
"As per guidelines, in order to bring all the establishment under this ambit, the ULBs ought to have conducted a detailed survey of their designated areas and maintain an establishment wise database showing distinctly the name of the shop/outlet, nature of activity, annual trade tax and user charges due, amounts recovered and balance outstanding on a particular date so that appropriate steps are taken to recover the same from the defaulters," they said. Astonishingly, eight Urban Local Bodies including Municipal Council Udhampur and Municipal Committees of Batote, Khour, Reasi, Rajouri, Budgam, Kulgam, and Pulwama failed to maintain proper records and trade tax which was being collected randomly without ascertaining whether the taxes for the earlier years had been received or not, sources regretted further adding that ULBs had neither maintained establishment date wise data not conducted any survey to ascertain the detail/ number of shops/ business establishments exiting within their limits thus affecting their own resources and consequent loss.
Meanwhile, MC Rajouri, despite having conducted a detailed survey for identification of shops and other business establishments carrying out their business activities within its limits, had failed to levy or recover professional tax and user sanitation charges amounting Rs 37 lakhs during the periods 2010-15 due to non / improper maintenance of tax records. |
