Over 8.12 lakh honest tax payers. A historic high of Rs. 779 crore was collected from these citizens by GHMC as property tax for the last financial year ending on March 31.
With the number of tax assessments of about 13.12 lakh, the municipal corporation plans to go after the remaining 4.99 lakh non-payers in the next three months to bring them into the tax net.
“It is tremendous achievement without increasing the tax by a single rupee and by concentrating on under-assessed/unassessed properties,” exclaimed an elated Mayor Mohd. Majid Hussain.
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Addressing a press conference flanked by Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu, Special Commissioner Navin Mittal, Additional Commissioners – K. Dhananjaya Reddy (Planning) and K. Ashok Reddy (Finance), he congratulated them and pointed out that for the second successive year, the revenue and expenditure had exceeded expectations.
“It’s a credible achievement considering that there is a 30-40 per cent slippage on residential assessments. Till June we will be reassessing them including the non-payers using GIS mapping, photographs and Google maps so that entire database is available,” said Mr. Krishna Babu.
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Top 1,000 arrears list too will be vetted with review petitions filed and a fresh list will be displayed within three months. Tax payments paid through cheques have time till April 5 to ensure money goes through or bounced cheques will entitle criminal cases being filed.
However, both the Mayor and the Commissioner were non-committal about any rationalisation of property tax this year. While there is no incentive for circles or colonies where payments were prompt, high paying commercial properties like hotels will have their surroundings spruced up as a reward.
The duo were also happy over the town planning revenue nearly equalling property tax at Rs. 735 crore including permit fees, BPS and LRS fees. Enforcement like demolitions of illegal structures, special campaign and threat of cut of water/power supply has worked, claimed Mr. Krishna Babu.
Increased revenues will help in spending Rs.100 crore in each zone for improving their main corridors like drains, roads, street lighting, dividers and footpaths, he added.