Hyderabad: Going against Telan-gana Chief Minister Mr Chandrasekhar Rao’s promise in Assembly, the GHMC has hiked property taxes, especially for commercial entities, in the name of fresh assessments.

However, officials did not explain the pattern of the assessments. A taxpayer from Alwal, whose annual tax is Rs. 900, was sent a notice for Rs. 11,000.

Another trader in Secunderabad, who had no dues except for a tax payment of Rs. 7,500, has been asked to pay Rs. 55,000 without any assessment.

GHMC has set a target of Rs. 5,000 crore this year and as of date, it has collected Rs. 800 crore, 8 per cent more than last year.

The Corporation has been practicing this throughout the Twin Cities, especially targeting small shops.

High Court lawyer Wasim Ahmed Khan said, “We have already filed several cases regarding GHMC’s exorbitant taxes. Section 220 (2) states that whenever the GHMC wants to enhance the tax amount, it has to issue a written notice to the concerned parties, and the party is entitled to submit his/her objections within 15 days. After receiving the objections, the GHMC has to pass an order. If the order goes against the party, then the party has the right to file a municipal appeal before the chief judge.

“In most cases, the GHMC is avoiding issuing written notices to the parties and not calling for objections. Since people have not received any prior notice they have lost the opportunity to file objections; parties can question the act of GHMC by filing writ petitions.”

Mr G.V. Rao, a member of GAASA, said, “We have tried several times to find the variation in the tax collections but the GHMC Alwal division has not come forward with any satisfactory replies. We now plan to raise the issue during the Monday Praja Vani. The tax department always states ‘ask the deputy commissioner’ and vice versa. GHMC is only acting against the orders.”