The process of remitting property tax will soon become easier with the Chennai Corporation likely to appoint at least five banks to collect remittances towards the levy.
The civic body is in talks with many public and private sector banks and the discussions with five banks, to restart the walk-in-payment facility of property tax, is in an advanced stage, according to officials of the Corporation.
The civic body is planning to offer the facility after Pongal under which assessees could remit property tax at any of designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank, ICICI Bank and Canara Bank. The representatives of the five banks voiced their willingness to be part of the facility at a meeting organised in Ripon Buildings on Tuesday.
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Chennai Corporation had launched such a facility on a trial basis in 2003. The facility, however, was not a success on account of various problems including reconciliation with the banks as the entire property tax database was not online during that period, an official of the Corporation said.
ICICI Bank, Indian Bank, HDFC, Dhanalakshmi Bank and State Bank of India were some of the banks that were part of the old system. The facility was formally withdrawn in 2009.
As the civic body completed the work on online property tax database of over 6.5 lakh assessees in the old city limits, the Corporation's Revenue Department has called for proposals from banks to restart the walk-in-payment facility.
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The facility is likely to be started in seven zones – Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Adyar.
The remaining eight zones of Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur in the extended areas would have the facility after the property tax database for the added areas is readied by March 31.
All the 10 lakh property tax assessees in the expanded city would have walk-in-payment facility after April. If the facility becomes successful, payment of property tax through ATMs of such banks would also be expanded in all the zones.
The property tax demand for 2011-2012 is Rs.558 crore and the civic body has collected Rs.211 crore so far. As the Revenue Department had the responsibility of conducting the Assembly and Local Body elections in the city last year, the collection of property tax was affected during the period.