Mysore/Mysuru: With the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) receiving complaints against several owners of Commercial Complexes cheating the civic body by under mentioning the floor area to avoid high taxes in the Self-Assessment Scheme (SAS), the MCC authorities yesterday launched a drive to measure all commercial properties in the city.
Following a directive by the MCC Commissioner to plug the loopholes in the tax collection system, all the nine MCC Zonal offices have chalked out a plan for augmenting resources.
On Monday, a team of officials led by MCC Zone-3 Zonal Officer Sathyamurthy, visited several Commercial Complexes on New Kantharaj Urs Road, at Sharadadevinagar and other areas and took physical measurement of the buildings in order to ascertain the actual floor area.
The officials set out on the ‘measurement drive’ after issuing a notice one day before to owners of commercial buildings.
During the drive, it was discovered that some of the owners had mentioned a lesser floor area while a few others had given wrong information about the number of floors in the SAS form, in order to save taxes.
Following the discovery, the authorities collected the difference amount in taxes from the owners at the spot and issued receipts for the same. At the same time, they also renewed the lapsed trade licence to shop owners upon collecting the stipulated fee from them.
Assistant Revenue Officer Madhu, Revenue Inspector Mallikarjuna, Assistant Engineers (AEs) Anantha and Venkatesh, Junior Engineer (JE) Rajashri and other officials took part in the drive.
In the article it is mentioned “During the drive, it was discovered that some of the owners had mentioned a lesser floor area while a few others had given wrong information about the number of floors in the SAS form, in order to save taxes.
Following the discovery, the authorities collected the difference amount in taxes from the owners at the spot and issued receipts for the same.”
Just collecting the difference in the amount of taxes is tantamount to letting go of culprits who specifically choose to lie and deceive the government and in effect the citizens of the nation. Why is it that the operating license of these businesses were not cancelled on the spot or at a minimum suspended for a year? Why was a court summons not issued for cheating and deceit? These businesses should be made to pay all costs associated with the visit of the government officials, penalised at a hefty rate of ten times the tax they actively worked to avoid and an interest rate of about 25% charged for the period they owed those back taxes. Also it should have been an opportunity to ensure that these businesses had not broken any other rules like building over the government sanctioned limit.
Only when people/businesses are made to bear the burden of their crime will it potentially deter future criminals.
In the article it is mentioned “During the drive, it was discovered that some of the owners had mentioned a lesser floor area while a few others had given wrong information about the number of floors in the SAS form, in order to save taxes.
Following the discovery, the authorities collected the difference amount in taxes from the owners at the spot and issued receipts for the same.”
Just collecting the difference in the amount of taxes is tantamount to letting go of culprits who specifically choose to lie and deceive the government and in effect the citizens of the nation. Why is it that the operating license of these businesses were not cancelled on the spot or at a minimum suspended for a year? Why was a court summons not issued for cheating and deceit? These businesses should be made to pay all costs associated with the visit of the government officials, penalised at a hefty rate of ten times the tax they actively worked to avoid and an interest rate of about 25% charged for the period they owed those back taxes. Also it should have been an opportunity to ensure that these businesses had not broken any other rules like building over the government sanctioned limit.
Only when people/businesses are made to bear the burden of their crime will it potentially deter future criminals.