Penalty and interest due for all municipal tax assesses were waived from today if paid in the next six months for the Howrah Municipal Corporation.
"We have decided to waive the penalty and interest due for all municipal tax assesses in a waiver scheme for Howrah Municipal Corporation. This is similar to the scheme offered by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation," West Bengal Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim told reporters at the state secretariat.
The scheme was effective from today.
The KMC scheme offered 90 per cent waiver that helped to mop up around Rs 400 crore, Hakim said.
The announcement timed just before general elections would aim to recover around Rs 200 crore (principal) which fell due since 1993-94.
Howrah Mayor Rathin Chakraborty said the number of defaulters had risen to 65 per cent and the scheme would help to regularise dues.
