Mysuru:  Mounting Property Tax dues has forced the cash-strapped Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to adopt stringent measures against defaulters and they are all set to knock your doors from July 16 in a Special Property Tax Collection Drive.

The civic body has warned those who are yet to pay their Property Tax dues to face the risk of having their properties seized (japthi) if they fail to do so. MCC is also in the process of listing the top 100 defaulters in each Zone and visit the properties from July 16 to recover dues.

Despite offering 5 percent rebate in April 2018-19 and a 2 percent interest-free exemption, only a part of property owners have paid their Property Tax. This has made the MCC to launch the special drive.

The 65 Wards come under nine Zones of MCC, which extends to an area of 128.42 sqkm, within which there are around 1.97 lakh properties including private and commercial ones. Of these, 47,041 property owners have not paid their taxes.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, MCC Revenue Officer Kumar Nayak said that the special drive will be launched from July 16 where the tax collection will be enforced.

“The drive will be held at all the nine Zones and first, we will make a list of ‘top 100’ defaulters and visit those properties where the highest amount is due. Later, the entire list will be covered. In all, there will be nine teams, each headed by a Zonal in-charge and the team will comprise a Nodal Officer, Zonal Officer, Revenue Inspector, Assistant Revenue Inspectors and MCC staff. If need be we will summon Abhaya teams to enforce rules,” he said.

Mentioning that the MCC has put out newspaper advertisements asking the property owners to immediately pay their dues, Kumar Nayak said that no more notices will be issued. “No further notices will be issued. The newspaper advertisement released by the MCC Commissioner K.H. Jagadeesha is final and binding. As per the Municipal Act, we are authorised to visit properties and collect taxes and we also have powers to seize the properties. Those who make immediate payments will escape the action,” he added.

If a property owner has to pay the tax now, the rebates of 5 percent and exemption of 2 percent will not apply. Instead, the property owner must pay 2 percent interest on the pending amount. This 2 percent has been calculated in the list of defaulters that the MCC has already prepared.

For the record, the MCC, in 2012-13 has collected Rs. 59.71 crore, in 2013-14 it has collected Rs. 66.25 crore as property tax. In 2014-15, it collected Rs. 75.14 crore and in 2015-16, the civic body collected Rs. 88.29 crore.

In 2016-17, it collected Rs. 94.25 crore and in 2017-18 (till September), it collected Rs. 76 crore. So far, the MCC has not been able to touch Rs. 100 crore mark in property tax collection.