The city projecting itself as a leading tier-2 IT destination is yet to harness technology for service delivery on the property tax front. While the property tax returns filed by the public is yet to be digitised, there is no facility for online payment of property tax.
It was originally suggested that such a facility would go live in 2010.
Though an effort was made three years ago and the Municipal Reforms Cell (MRC) had an interaction with the MCC and a few private players, it made no progress as the property tax database was yet to be updated. The cell did not authorise the use of software due to technical glitches.
Online payment
MCC Commissioner C.G. Betsurmath said they were serious about online payment system as it would benefit both citizens and the local body. “For citizens, it will obviate the need to stand in queue, while the MCC will receive the exact amount as the online calculator will ensure there is no under-valuation,” he added.
While the MCC’s property registry has a record of nearly 1.75 lakh properties, a survey conducted under the Urban Property Ownership Record project revealed that there were more than 2.75 lakh properties in the city. This included a few villages on the periphery. This data could be matched to ascertain that property owners were not undervaluing their properties to pay less. But the authorities are yet to conduct such a check despite the information being available.
