Technical glitches at Avadi Corporation office irk taxpayers
The residents said that when they visited the Avadi corporation office to pay tax, they were informed that the services won't be available till April 6.;
Avadi Corporation
CHENNAI: The residents of Pattabiram raised concerns regarding the delay in the tax payment process due to persisting technical glitches at the Avadi Corporation office.
It is to be noted that besides the Avadi Corporation office, there are two other tax collection centres in Pattabiram and Tirumullaivoyal in Avadi.
The residents said that when they visited the Avadi corporation office to pay tax, they were informed that the services won't be available till April 6. The same was the case with the other centres. However, the residents claimed that the technical issue at the Pattabiram centre has not been solved to date.
Explaining the ordeal, KT Rajan, an octogenarian and resident of Pattabiram, said, “I have to pay tax for three houses, including my friend’s place. I have been visiting the centre from April 2 onwards, but they directed me to pay tax online, citing technical issues.”
He added, “I am not familiar with the online payment process and don’t have accessibility. The centre in Pattabiram is not spacious enough to stand or wait, adding to taxpayers’ woes.”
“When enquired about the issue, officials stated that the tax collection process is delayed due to technical upgradation. It is to be noted that if tax is paid before April 30, residents could apply for a five per cent rebate. However, residents won’t be able to claim the refund due to the delay in payment. In addition, if this had been fixed at the earliest, those who were travelling to their native during holidays could have paid the tax earlier and claimed the rebate,” said T Sadagopan, an activist and resident of the area.
“It's women or senior citizens who mostly visit the centre to pay the tax. Hence, we want more tax-paying centres for the convenience of the residents. There is also no direct bus to Avadi from Pattabiram,” Sadagopan added.
When contacted, an official attached to the Avadi corporation said, “Certain technical upgrades were under way and everything would be back to normal by today (April 14).”