Some of the city’s most recognisable corporate entities figure in the Greater Chennai Corporation’s latest list of the top 100 property tax defaulters, with unpaid dues adding up to ?33.68 crore. Many of these premises are located along major commercial corridors across the city. According to the list released for the second half of 2025–26, several large properties linked to a prominent recreational institution also appear on the list, together accounting for more than ?5 crore in unpaid taxes across multiple holdings. The largest defaulter owes ?2.42 crore in property tax for a commercial premises, while two other major defaulters owe ?1.74 crore and ?1.64 crore respectively for properties located in high-value business districts. The defaulters’ list spans multiple sectors, including telecom, retail, real estate, and media. A number of individual property owners have also defaulted, with arrears ranging from ?10 lakh to ?60 lakh. Civic officials said the decision to make the list public was aimed at increasing transparency and exerting pressure on defaulters to clear their dues. Property tax collections of around ?2,200 crore annually form a major source of revenue for essential services such as roads, stormwater drains, and conservancy work, and persistent non-payment adversely affects service delivery, officials said. senior revenue official stated that fresh notices would be issued to defaulters and that buildings would be locked and sealed after 14 days if dues were not cleared. Some defaulters have approached the courts over reassessment, the official added. Six years ago, the civic body launched a GIS-based mapping project to reassess around three lakh buildings with deviations, aiming to generate an additional ?400 crore in revenue and raise the annual tax target to ?2,600 crore. However, only about 60,000 buildings have been assessed so far, and most are yet to be levied revised rates. Educational institutions were identified as major defaulters in cases involving building deviations. Revenue officials said assessments require physical inspections to measure structures and raise bills. It was also suggested that power supply connections be disconnected for persistent property tax defaulters.
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