The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has disclosed that over Rs. 4 billion in assessment tax arrears remain outstanding within the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area.
This was revealed when CMC officials appeared before the committee recently. COPA Chairman MP Kabir Hashim noted that despite earlier recommendations, tax recovery had shown little progress, with only Rs. 53 million collected by June from Rs. 610 million owed in the Fort Division alone.
Deputy Municipal Treasurer Nandana Rajapaksha said recovery efforts were ongoing under the Municipal Council Ordinance, including property seizure actions against defaulters. Out of 3,747 defaulting properties in the Fort Division, Rs. 148 million has been recovered so far.
Colombo Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazar assured the committee that measures would be taken to expedite the collection process and resolve issues related to the outstanding arrears.
