Government asks KoPT to clear KMC’s tax share

The state government asked the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) authorities to clear the tax share of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

Firhad Hakim, the state Municipal Affairs minister, said he held a meeting with senior officials of KoPT on Tuesday and he made the point clear that it has to clear the tax share that had been pending since 2001.

According to the CAG report, the pending tax share of the last fiscal is Rs 51 crore. Thus collective tax share since 2001 has to be cleared.

There is a plot of KMC of which KoPT collects the tax, but it has not been refunded to the municipal corporation.

A case was lodged in this connection with the Calcutta High Court. The matter had moved to the Supreme Court. The case was again heard in the High Court following the Apex Court’s direction and the order of the High Court was in favour of KMC.

It is learnt that the KoPT authorities would be moving to the court again in this connection.

Hakim has also made it clear on Tuesday that it is the responsibility of KoPT to repair the roads in port areas as KMC didn’t take tax from the port authorities for a certain cottah of land being used by them.