Pay the principal, skip the interest: Varanasi's civic body waives surcharge on old tax dues till 15 December

If a house tax bill in Varanasi has been sitting unpaid for years, the interest on it has usually grown into the part nobody can face. Until 15 December, the Nagar Nigam is offering to remove that part entirely. Under a One-Time Settlement scheme that opened on 15 August, the corporation is waiving 100 per cent of the interest and surcharge accumulated on arrears of house tax, water tax and sewerage tax from before 1 April 2026. What remains is the principal — the tax itself — and even that can be cleared in up to three easy monthly instalments, with no interest added along the way. The offer is open to owners of residential, non-residential and mixed-use properties alike, which covers most of the city's shops, rented floors and family houses. For a household whose dues go back several years, the arithmetic is worth checking: on an old bill, accumulated surcharge can rival the original amount. Clearing the file also matters at the moment of sale, mortgage or mutation, when the corporation's no-dues position becomes the thing holding up the paperwork. The window runs four months and ends on 15 December 2026. Owners who want to use it should check their outstanding amount with the Nagar Nigam and settle before that date.

Compiled by HelloBanaras from public sources: Janwarta