MARGAO
Are there only 63 commercial establishments operating in the imposing ground-plus four storey, six mega buildings in the commercial capital’s biggest commercial hub “ the Osia commercial complex adjoining the PDA market complex near the KTC bus stand?
Or, is it that the Margao municipal officials have been simply caught napping in the discharge of their duties of bringing hundreds, if not thousands, of establishments under the tax net and in the process denying precious revenue to the civic body?
RTI information dished out by MMC has made a startling revelation, that only 63 commercial establishments in the Osia Commercial complex are presently paying trade licence fees to the civic body, literally catching the municipal officials napping, having failed to bring the establishments under the trade licence net.
The figures are indeed mind-boggling. Otherwise, consider this. The information suggests that the Osia commercial complex plays host to a whopping 1,983 commercial establishments. Information has further revealed that a total of 83 trade licences were initially issued by MMC, of which 20 licences presently stands cancelled, indicating that the municipality currently receives trade licence pertaining to only 63 establishments.
This unusual situation has raised a host of queries, whether the civic babus had ever left their cabins and descended at this and several other commercial complexes to check and verify whether the establishments had paid trade license fees to the municipality.
Loyal taxpayer’s group convenor, Savio Coutinho, who had obtained information about Osia Commercial Complex and Ranghavi complex under RTI, said that the information only goes to suggest that all is not well on the trade licence front.
“There may also be a situation wherein the establishment owners have been willing to pay, but the civic babus have declined to accept the payments for want of proper documentation. On one hand, the Municipal chairperson wants to burden the genuine taxpayers with additional does of taxation, but the civic body has no plans to bring existing establishments under the tax net,” he rued. Coutinho said RTI information pertaining to Ranghavi building adjoining the MMC building also revealed that only 21 establishments are operating in the bustling commercial complex. “RTI information showed that Ranghavi plays host to 238 premises, but only 21 establishments are paying the trade licence,” he added.
MMC chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai maintained that all these lapses will be a thing of the past in the near future.
