MARGAO
The new financial year kicks off on Tuesday, but taxpayers made a beeline to the Margao Municipal Council late on Monday night itself to ensure they made it to the tax counter to make their payments.
Though one could not find any people standing at the Margao Municipal door leading to the tax payment section, one could come across water bottles, coconut shells, and side mirrors of vehicles placed at the door at around 10 pm on Monday. Around 2-3 people, who were part of the exercise of placing the bottles and coconut shells near the municipal door, were seen standing a few meters away.
The number of items placed at the door is expected to increase past midnight before the taxpayers make their presence felt in the early hours of Tuesday to take their positions in the queue.
In fact, this is an annual ritual performed by a section of taxpayers every year on the eve of the financial year. The reason: these taxpayers try to make it first to the tax counter when the civic body starts the day collecting the taxes”not to earn any rewards but to score legal points.
If officials are to be believed, those who stand in the queue at the MMC building before the financial year kicks off are normally members of families involved in property disputes.
“With the disputes pending in the courts and quasi-judicial forums, warring family members try to make the tax payment first at the municipality and produce the house tax receipt in the court of law or quasi-judicial forums,” the official added.
