TAX NEWS - 2010

Hooda to rescue Gurgaon house owners from tax

Haryana Chief Minister Said He Wasn't Aware of Tax Notices Being Issued to Owners

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda finally intervened on the issue of house tax on property owners in Gurgaon.

He reportedly assured RWA representatives on Sunday that he would get the issue examined by the Haryana Taxation Committee.

Hooda also said that the Joint Action Forum of Residents' Association (Jafra) would have representation in this committee. Jafra chairman Col (Retd.) Ratan Singh said Hooda told them he was not aware that the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon had issued house tax notices.

The MCG has earmarked about three lakh properties of all types including self-occu- pied houses for the purpose of issuing house tax assessment notices. Till date, about 80,000 notices have been issued in Gurgaon. The MCG expects to collect about Rs 350 crore in house taxes.

"During the one- hour meeting at his official residence on Sunday, we apprised him about the concern of lakhs of property owners on the issue of house tax levied by the MCG. We were shocked to know that he did not know of issuance of house tax notices," Col. (Retd.) Singh said.

Khajan Singh, a Congress leader who arranged Jafra meeting with Hooda, said: "During the meeting, the Haryana chief minister said that chulha tax and house tax had been withdrawn from the entire Haryana state and that he was not aware of the fact that MCG has issued house tax notices in Gurgaon. The CM promised to get the issue examined by the Haryana Taxation Committee."

During the meeting, Jafra also took up the matter of transfer of Rs 100 crore from MCG to Municipal Corpo- ration of Faridabad.