Taj Mahal receives Rs.1.5 lakh property tax and Rs.1.9 crore water tax notices

An investigation has been ordered into how the notices had been issued

December 20, 2022

For the first time in history, the Taj Mahal receives tax notices

The Taj Mahal monument has been charged with Rs.1.5 lakh as property tax and Rs.1.9 crore as water tax. The Agra Municipal Corporation has sent notices to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for the tax bills due for the financial years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 and is asked to be paid within a period of 15 days.

ASI calls it a mistake

According to the report by TOI, ASI superintending archaeologist Raj Kumar Patel stated that such notices must have come by mistake as this has never happened earlier ever. Also, the Taj Mahal is a protected monument. Hence the ASI is not liable to pay such taxes. He further clarified that even the water is used just for the sake of maintaining the gardens in the area around the monument. Three notices have been received so far, two for the Taj Mahal and one for the Agra Fort, he said.

Corporation’s statement

Nikhil T Funde, Municipal commissioner of Agra said, “All government and religious sites have been issued a notice of taxes with respect to the geographic information system (GIS) survey which was conducted throughout the state. I am not aware of the tax notices sent to the Taj Mahal too.”

Sarita Singh, the assistant municipal commissioner stated that a private company was assigned the task of conducting the surveys which calculated the taxes. Also, the issue of notices sent to the Taj Mahal for the payment of taxes is under investigation.

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