The civic body in Agra, Uttar Pradesh has asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to pay Rs 1.47 lakh as house tax on the Taj Mahal, along with Rs 1.94 crore as water tax, in what is a first for the protected monument.
According to a Deccan Herald report, the ASI has been given 15 days to clear the dues, failing which the property would be “attached.”
The notice from Agra Nagar Nigam (Agra Municipal Corporation) said the bills are for the financial year 2021-22 and 2022-23.
However, Municipal commissioner Nikhil T Funde said he was unaware of tax-related proceedings related to the Taj Mahal. “Fresh notices are being issued based on the statewide geographic information system (GIS) survey conducted for calculation of taxes,” Funde told the Times of India.
“All premises, including government buildings and religious sites, have been issued notices based on dues pending on them,” he said. “Rebate is provided following due process of law. In the case of notices issued to ASI, required action will be taken on taken on the basis of response received from them.”
Meanwhile, ASI officials said the notice may have been sent by mistake, as house and water taxes are not applicable on monuments. The Taj Mahal was declared a protected monument in 1920, noted ASI, and no taxes were paid on it even during the days of British rule.
ASI superintending archaeologist Raj Kumar Patel said, "property tax is not applicable on monuments. We are also not liable to pay taxes for water as there is no commercial use of it. Water is used to maintain greenery within the premises. Notices related to water and property tax for Taj Mahal have been received for the first time. It could have been sent by mistake."
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