The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Stamp duty can now be paid in three minutes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 15, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Stamp duty can now be paid in three minutes

Special Correspondent

State launches e-stamping facility on pilot basis

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Easy payment: R.V. Suma, who received the first e-stamp duty certificate from Governor Rameshwar Thakur in Bangalore on Friday.

BANGALORE: Karnataka on Friday took one more step in revenue reforms by launching e-stamping facility on a pilot basis to enable electronic payment of stamp duty.

The facility, which was launched by Governor Rameshwar Thakur, is being introduced in collaboration with Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd. (SHCIL) to prevent stamp-paper-related fraud and reduce inconvenience to the public.

To begin with, the system will be operational at the Sub-registrar’s office in Gandhinagar and on the premises of the Lawyers’ Association at the Civil Court Complex here. In about a week, it will be extended to six more areas in Bangalore. The Government is planning to roll out the facility across the State after three months, depending on the success of the pilot scheme.

Under the e-stamping system, all that one needs to do is to fill in an application form with details of buyer and seller, stamp duty payment details – cash or demand draft – at the centres. Officials will collect the payment and enter the data into the computer system, which will generate a stamp-duty-paid certificate.

According to SHCIL, the entire exercise of stamp duty payment and issue of certificate takes about three minutes.

Mr. Thakur said this would facilitate good governance and prevent corruption.

Speaking on the occasion, Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, who had recommended the introduction of the e-stamping system, called for the implementation of title insurance to prevent buyers of property from becoming victims of fraud. The Government should introduce other alternatives for stamp papers to check corruption.

He stressed the need for reducing malpractice at the sub-registrars’ offices. The Lokayukta had already recommended to the Government to put up a list of the requirements for registration of property in the sub-registrars’ offices.

Probe suggested

Mr. Hegde urged the Government to conduct a probe into the “unauthorised” printing of stamp papers by some banks to find out if there were any irregularities.

Some banks, which had been authorised to sell stamp papers, had printed stamp papers without an indent from the Government.

There was the possibility of such stamp papers being released to unauthorised persons.

Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao said the scheme was one of the tools to check corruption.

Adviser to the Governor P. K. H. Tharakan said the Government had studied the e-stamping system in Singapore before deciding to go ahead with it.

Inspector-General of Registration and Commissioner for Stamps H. Shashidhar spoke.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka