The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) received a notice from the Agra Municipal Corporation demanding that it pay Rs 1.47 lakh in house tax on the Taj Mahal.
R K Patel, the superintendent of ASI Agra, is currently seeking guidance from the ASI directorate regarding the matter because the notice specifies that the tax must be paid within 15 days.
Itmad-ud-Daulah, another ASI-protected monument and potential candidate for World Heritage Monument status, also received a notice of this nature.
According to the notice given to the ASI, the unpaid house tax as of March 31, 2022, was Rs 88,784, plus Rs 47,983 in interest.
For the fiscal year 2022–2023, a house tax charge of Rs 11,098 has been assessed, bringing the total to Rs 14,7826, which must be paid within 15 days.
The Taj Mahal is a world heritage site and a property of the central government, according to Vishal Sharma, secretary of the Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber, who expressed shock at the notice. Why the Agra Municipal Corporation served the ASI with a tax recovery notice for the monument is incomprehensible.
Approximately 102 years ago, in 1920, the Taj Mahal was designated as a protected monument, according to him. Since that time, the ASI has never previously received a house tax notice for the monument.
Even the British government, according to Sharma, never subjected the Taj Mahal to house taxes, and the Agra Mayor needs to explain why this notice was issued.
The Agra Municipal Corporation has sent this notice to the Taj Mahal’s Archaeological Department, Taj Garden at the Eastern Gate.
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