MADURAI: From now on, taxes to the Corporation of Madurai can be remitted through all credit and debit cards.
Launching the facility at ‘Anna Maaligai’, the Corporation office, on Friday, State Minister for Cooperation Sellur K. Raju said if the residents remitted taxes on time it would enable the local bodies to carry out welfare and development projects.
Forty one tax collection centres would function in the 100 wards of the Corporation on all working days. The total tax demand, including arrears, stood at Rs. 336.57 crore, said Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri.
The current tax demand was Rs. 154.38 crore, and the tax authorities had so far collected 61.76 per cent of the taxes, he added.
With two months to go for the end of the fiscal year (March 31), the authorities expected to collect cent per cent tax this time. Paying through debit/ credit cards was expected to help in speedy collection and all the participating banks had promised full cooperation in this regard, he added.
New dumper bins
On the occasion, Mr. Raju also gave away dumper bins and tricycles, all purchased at a cost of Rs. 14.83 lakh from the Corporation’s general fund. With Madurai having been selected for ‘Smart Cities’ project, it had been proposed to focus on cleanliness in and around the Meenakshi Temple. “All narrow lanes/ bylanes would have compacter bins and tricycles would be used in removing them,” Mr. Nanduri said.
The Corporation has identified 100 volunteers for all the 100 wards, who would be called ‘Swachgrahi’. The idea is to create awareness of the use of dumper bins and not spitting on the roads. The Minister presented identity cards to the ‘Swachgrahis’.
Madurai Lok Sabha MP R. Gopalakrishnan, MLA V.V. Rajan Chellappa, and senior officials participated.
