Trade tax department has sent notices to hundreds of traders in Noida warning them that they would be slapped with penalities ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per head for having failed to file their returns so far.

While the traders and commercial tax advocates have resented these notices, the departmental sources say these tax returns were to be filed in March 2009. But the department has not received returns.

Traders who do business of over a crore of rupees annually fall within the ambit of the trade tax net. Almost all the traders in town are transacting business of over a crore annually, according to the department sources.

Dy commissioner of zone 10, G C Mishra has reportedly sent the maximum number of notices, in which the traders have been asked to send their replies within a fortnight.

Similarly, the deputy commissioners of all other zones have also sent these notices to thousands of traders who are likely to be slapped with a penalty ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 each.

But traders and commercial tax advocates allege that the department's computer system is not functioning properly.

The server of the system remains down for such a long time that it is difficult to file a return on it. Complaints to this effect have been lodged with senior officers of the department also.

Sending return on the present system invariably results in deparment slapping pernalties on traders, it is alleged.

Only recently joint commissioner (Range), BY K Agnihotri had taken a meeting with traders and advocates to sort out this problem.