Move comes after website featured names of top politicians
the goan I network
MARGAO
An enraged Babita, whose name also figures as a tax defaulter along with thousands of households, including TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, slammed the NIC for the flaw, while issuing directions to withdraw the information and rectify the fault.
“Please don’t call us tax defaulters. I am a sincere taxpayer since the time I had started my clinic. Where is the question of defaulting to pay the tax when the period to clear the dues is not over yet,” she argued.
When the media pointed out that that information on the tax defaulters is uploaded on the official MMC website, Babita said since it was a flaw in the system, she has directed the officials to get the information withdrawn.
Incidentally, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, whose name figures in the list of tax defaulters, pointed out that his office had cleared the dues of his bungalow pertaining to the last financial year in January last.
“I have got the receipts to prove that the house tax dues were all cleared in January. I fail to understand how the municipality can brand someone as a tax defaulter for a financial year which has just commenced just a month ago,” he wondered, while protesting over the website.
When The Goan called up the NIC officials to shed light on the controversy, an official pointed out that an exercise is underway to compile a list of tax defaulters pertaining to the financial year 2016-17.
“We have an inbuilt program wherein the names of tax payers are automatically shown as tax defaulters for non-payment of house tax of the current financial year. As per the civic body’s instruction, only those who have not paid their dues of the last financial year
will now be categorized as tax defaulters,” the NIC official added, putting to rest the controversy over the list of tax defaulters.
TAXING TIMES
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, whose name figures in the list of tax defaulters, pointed out that his office had cleared the dues of his bungalow pertaining to the last financial year in January last
NIC officials said that an exercise is underway to compile a list of tax defaulters pertaining to the financial year 2016-17
As per MMC’s instruction, only those who have not paid their dues of the last financial year will now be categorized as tax defaulters
