RMC's Tax Crackdown Exposes Widespread Property Fraud in Ranchi

Ranchi: The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) had expedited its revenue collection drive across all wards, tightening scrutiny of holding tax payments as part of its push to achieve the Rs 100 crore revenue target in the current financial year.The intensified drive has begun yielding results, with field inspections exposing large-scale under-assessment and misreporting of property details in several wards of the city.Teams from the RMC revenue branch conducted physical verification of commercial and residential properties, examining the declared built-up area, nature of usage, road width, basement utilisation, and rainwater harvesting provisions.

The inspections revealed that multiple properties paid holding tax on significantly lower areas or under incorrect categories.In ward number 45, Srishti Hospital was found paying commercial holding tax for 12,000 sq ft, while the actual measurement showed a commercial built-up area of 22,870 sq ft, indicating a gap of 10,870 sq ft.In ward number 35, RSP House (Ranjit & Company) was paying tax for 6,160 sq ft, whereas the physical verification found 24,491 sq ft was under commercial use.

Similar irregularities were detected in ward numbers 1, 5, 6, and 45. These included cases where basements were used as godowns or rented out to banks and taxed at residential rates, hotels paying holding tax under residential categories, under-reporting of road width to reduce tax slabs, and long-operational holdings with pending tax dues for several years.In a statement, the RMC said, “As part of the intensified revenue drive, physical verification revealed discrepancies in property area, usage, and applicable tax category. The tax collection agency was directed to immediately correct the entries and recover dues in accordance with the Jharkhand Municipal Act.”The civic body warned that property owners failing to voluntarily reassess changes in area or usage would face strict penal action.