Politicos, government officers in Kakinada among property tax defaulters

HYDERABAD: A recent RTI reply has revealed that the local politicians and government offices in Kakinada town are the biggest evaders of property tax. According to information furnished by the municipal corporation office of Kakinada on July 11, there are 660 individuals who have to pay a tax amount of more than Rs 20,000 each and they owe a total of Rs 17 crore to the government.
Prominent in the defaulters' list includes former Kakinada MLA Muthha Gopalkrishna, who has to pay Rs 2.18 lakh as property tax which includes arrears and penalties. Similarly, sitting Congress MLA from Kakinada town Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy owes Rs 51,530. TDP MLC Boddu Bhaskara Rama Rao has to pay Rs 93,921. The ruling party is also a major violator as the East Godavari district Congress office in Kakinada town has to pay Rs 12 lakh property tax.
Coming to government offices, the district collector's office has to pay Rs 75 lakh, office of district superintendent of police Rs 30 lakh, district treasury office Rs 33 lakh, R&B district engineer office Rs 20 lakh, district rural development authority office Rs 16 lakh and district medical and health office Rs 13 lakh.
The RTI applicant from Kakinada, P Venkatramu said, "This is a clear case of discrimination between the influential in town and the ordinary citizens. Why are the revenue officials not acting when so many local politicians and other rich citizens have not paid the property tax from so long? There are also many government departments who have defaulted and the concerned officials seem least interested in it." He demanded that the properties of the defaulters should be immediately attached or he would approach Lok Ayukta on this matter very soon.