‘Soon, survey to identify tax evaders in Malda’

Malda: The English Bazar Municipality (EBM) is going to conduct a survey to identify tax evaders. The move will help raise revenue of the civic body on one hand and on the other, EBM can use the revenue in various social welfare schemes. The survey will be done with the help of the ward councillors to make a list of the evaders and defaulters.

The EBM has 29 wards under it and there are numerous households with attached shops, beauty parlours and other commercial establishments along with the houses, even in narrow lanes and alleys. It is alleged that some of these establishments do not even use commercial electricity connection or have trade licenses from the civic body.

As a result, the EBM has no records of how many commercial establishments there are and further is not getting the revenue, through taxes, it is entitled to.

According to EBM officials, the survey is nearly complete. The commercial and non-commercial spaces in the households or buildings have also been, so far, separately identified. Once the survey is complete, action will be taken against tax evaders. Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, Chairman of EBM, said: “The survey is nearly completed. We are now focusing on the high rises and shopping malls whether they have obtained ‘building completion certificates.’ There are complaints that many such traders are involved in such malpractices.”