Property Owners in UP Get Relief as Government Launches One-Time Settlement Scheme

The Uttar Pradesh government has come up with a One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme to extend relief to property owners who have pending tax dues for a long time. It is an initiative taken by the state Urban Development Department that will be implemented for all 762 urban local bodies in the state for outstanding house tax, water tax, and sewerage tax.

The scheme is designed to assist and help property owners who face difficulty with accumulated overdue amounts of money, especially if interest and other charges have added up to a large payable amount. With the OTS scheme, the taxpayer would be given a chance to regularise the outstanding amount by a streamlined settlement procedure and not be considered a defaulter.

The scheme will cover 17 municipal corporations, 200 municipal councils and 545 nagar panchayats. It will be effective starting 15 August and will stay in force for four months. The state government has instructed the officials of urban local bodies to carry out awareness campaigns to ensure that eligible property owners know about the settlement opportunity.

A major aspect of the scheme is that the borrower may pay off the past dues in three payments. One-third of the total amount outstanding will be payable in the first 30 days of the application. The balance sum may then be paid over the following period; the total due to be paid under the scheme in 3 months.

To simplify the work of the residents, civic organizations are also asked to have help desks in their offices. These are the help desks that will help applicants with their enquiries and guide them on the application made online or physical applications.

The government hopes that the project would be beneficial to taxpayers and urban local bodies who have invested in Properties in UP. It's a calculated way for owners to pay off old debts and get their tax affairs in order. Better recovery of pending revenue may help enhance the fiscal standing of civic authorities and help promote the efficient provision of vital urban services in cities.

The extra money that can be generated under the OTS scheme can be used for infrastructure and public services such as roads, drainage, drinking water, sanitation and street lighting, said Urban Development Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma.

The initiative is thus projected to boost tax collection and also support the urban local government in Uttar Pradesh to raise money for development and public welfare programmes.