Tax on Taj: In a first, Agra civic body issues notice to ASI for house tax

According to the notice issued by the Municipal Corporation, till March 31, 2022, the pending land tax stands at Rs 88,784 besides an interest of Rs 47,943 accumulated on it.

Agra: The Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC) has sent a notice to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) asking it to pay the outstanding house tax of the Taj Mahal. The AMC has set a deadline of 15 days to the ASI to deposit the tax. The notice has been issued by the Tax Assessment Officer of Agra Municipal Corporation on 25 November 2022.

But, the notice has been received by the ASI only recently. Besides the Taj, the house tax notice has also been issued for Etmad-ud-Daulah, a monument across the Yamuna river. However, the ASI officials are surprised at the notice, saying that such a notice is issued for the first time in over a century. According to the notice issued by the AMC till March 31, 2022, the pending land tax stands at Rs 88,784 besides an interest of Rs 47,943 accumulated on it.

The house tax for the financial year 2022-23 has been shown as Rs 11,098. Assistant Municipal Commissioner and Tajganj zonal in-charge Sarita Singh said that the notice was issued on the basis of a survey by the Sai Construction Company for house tax through satellite image mapping. ASI's Superintending Archaeologist Rajkumar Sarkar said that the department only looks after all the monuments including the Taj Mahal.

Pertinently, in the year 1920, the Taj Mahal was declared a protected monument of national importance. It is included in the seven wonders of the world.