Taj Mahal Gets Notices To Shell Out Nearly Rs 2 Crore As Taxes Or Face 'Attachment'

The ASI has been asked to pay Rs 1.91 crore as property and water taxes for the Taj Mahal in 15 days, failing which the protected monument could be attached.

The Taj Mahal authority, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has been asked to pay nearly Rs 2 crore as property and water tax. The Agra Municipal Corporation in Uttar Pradesh has sent notices to the ASI seeking the payment for the protected monument. 

The tax has been calculated for the current and the previous financial years. According to the two notices, the tax due to the AMC till March 31, 2022, is Rs 88,784 and Rs 47,983 has been claimed as interest for non-payment of the dues. Moreover, Rs 11,098 has been levied as house tax for the financial year 2022-23, adding up to a total of Rs 1,47,826, reported India Today. 

The AMC has asked the ASI to clear the dues within 15 days. If the ASI fails to do so, the property (Taj Mahal) would be 'attached', according to the notice. 

News agency IANS quoted Agra municipal commissioner Nikhil T Funde as saying, "I am not aware of the tax-related proceedings related to the Taj Mahal. Fresh notices are being issued based on the statewide geographic information system (GIS) survey conducted for the calculation of taxes. All premises, including government buildings and religious sites, have been issued notices based on dues pending on them. Rebate is provided following due process of law. In the case of notices issued to the ASI, required action will be taken on the basis of the response received from them." 

However, the ASI has contested the AMC’s claims on tax dues and said it was a “mistake”. According to ASI superintending archaeologist Raj Kumar Patel, property tax is not applicable on monuments. He said, “We are not liable to pay taxes for water either as there is no commercial use of it. Water is used to maintain the greenery on the premises. Notices related to water and property tax for the Taj Mahal have been received for the first time. It could have been sent by mistake." 

 Assistant municipal commissioner and in-charge of the Tajganj zone Sarita Singh said the matter will be investigated. According to Singh, a private company was tasked to realise taxes on properties based on a GIS survey. 

 The Taj Mahal was declared a protected monument in 1920 and, according to ASI officials, no house or water tax had been levied on it even during the British regime. 

(With inputs from IANS.)