GVMC will launch an exercise to prevent leakages and identify un-assessed and under-assessed properties and improve D&O trade licences and advertisement revenue. “Last year, use of a tablet to verify tax on ground and issue of notices resulted in an additional revenue Rs.20 crore.
It was done randomly. Now we will go for a saturation approach verifying properties block-wise deploying manpower,” says Municipal Commissioner Pravin Kumar.
Besides, the D&O trade licence fee collected from 42,438 assessments was Rs.3.7 crore against a demand of Rs.7.24 crore including arrears of Rs.2.57 crore. With some shops closing business, arrears mounted, he said. A fresh survey will be taken up of all those carrying out business. In the advertisements target, 80 per cent has been achieved and Mr. Pravin Kumar is confident that it will be 100 per cent.
With the fresh move, there is a possibility of mopping up an additional revenue of Rs.100 crore, he says.
Property tax
With hardly a week for the financial year to end, the property tax collected so far is Rs.144 crore against a collectible demand of Rs.194.13 crore. Factors like some big assesses going to court, arrears mounting up in slums during the last two to three years led to only 74 per cent of the target being achieved, he said.
During a door-to-door campaign, some were seeking instalment facility but it could not be granted under the rules, the Commissioner said.
With officials overcoming the earlier lack of coordination, water tax collections improved to Rs.123 crore against a target of Rs.153 crore. Arrears piled up with some not paying the tax up to five years.
To adopt saturation approach to verify properties block-wise
