1,140 farmhouse owners issued notice for tax evasion: SDMC

Large-scale alleged evasion of property tax by owners of farmhouses in south Delhi has been found by SDMC which has issued notices to 1,140 such owners for tax defaulting.
"The Tax Assessment and Collection Department of South Delhi Municipal Corporation has launched a survey for door-to-door verification of payment of property tax. A total of 1,935 farmhouses have been surveyed so far and notices have been issued to 1,140 owners for defaulting payment of taxes," a senior SDMC official said.
During the financial year 2014-15, more than 2,000 farmhouse-owners were issued notices on whom assessments are being finalised now with substantial tax dues and and penalty. Over 100 farmhouses have been attached by the department for defaulting and it is initiating process to auction these farmhouses to realise the tax dues, Additional Commissioner (Taxes) Ram Mohan Singh said.

All farmhouse owners are required to pay property tax and no vacant land connected to a farmhouse will be construed as an agriculture land and is liable to be taxed, Singh said.
The SDMC teams are also taking photographs to nail the "bogus claims" of agricultural activities being undertaken a farmhouses to evade tax.
The farmhouses which are major revenue source for the civic body pay four times the rate of property tax if put to commercial use. If a farmhouse is rented out for residential purpose, the property tax on it doubles.
In soutt Delhi, these properties are situated in areas like Western Green, Rangpuri, Rajokri, Kapashera, Pushpanjali, Bijwasan, Solhapur, Chhawla, Bhartal, Bamnoli, Dhulsiras, Pochanpur, Bhatti, Mahabali Puram, Dera Mandi, Asola, Ghitorni, Aya Nagar and Gadaipur.