Minister for IT, Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao can take pride with Sircilla town, part of his Assembly constituency of the same name, once again topping the property tax collection of the last financial year of 2022-23, collecting 99.39% or ₹501.57 lakh of the projected demand, which is 14.05% more compared to last year.
Telangana Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), other than GHMC in the capital, had overall shown an improved collection of property tax of ₹830.48 crore in 22-23 financial year, which is ₹132.23 crore more than the previous year’s collection of ₹698.25 crore in 2021-22.
About 17 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from among the 140 municipal bodies for which data is available had collected 90% or more of the demand raised for the property tax while on the lower end, 12 others had collected 50% or less of the demand raised. Tax collection rate has been 72.44% or an increase of about 18.94% compared to the last financial year.
The municipal bodies had held revenue redressal ‘melas’ on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays every month that had helped in resolving more than a 1,000 representations received from the citizens about their tax issues.
Awareness campaigns on the property tax payment made in various modes of media had also helped in the tax collection, informed Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) N. Satyanarayana on Tuesday.
Toppers in property tax collections behind Sircilla town are – Waddepalle 95.77% or ₹64.29 lakh, Metpalli 93.15%/₹255.19 lakh, Huzurabad 91.93%/₹219.15 lakh, Luxettipet 94.4%/₹140.78 lakh, Thumukunta 90.12 %/₹773.14 lakh, Pheerzadiguda 92.33%/₹1340.04 lakh, Devarakonda 94.48%/₹242.22 lakh, Manthani 90.86%/₹99.65 lakh, Kothur 92.70%/₹222.88 lakh, Thukkuguda 90.93%/₹434.2 lakh, Thurkyamjal 93.3%/₹918.84 lakh, Adibatla 91.09%/₹226.02 lakh, Narayanakhed 91.67%/₹186.66 lakh, Vikarabad 96.33%/₹356.56 lakh and Mothkur 90.70% /₹89.74 lakh.
The laggards have been – Bhainsa 26.93%/₹187.67 lakh, Mahabubnagar 38.20%/₹1814.79 lakh, Nirmal 40.98%/₹498.37 lakh, Sulatanabad 41.06%/₹88.92 lakh, Nakrekal 42.34%/₹395.02 lakh, Tandur 42.87%/₹410.65 lakh, Nalgonda 43.06%/₹242.22 lakh, Cheriyal 43.10%/₹84.55 lakh, Kothagudem 44.52%/₹732.26 lakh, Jalpally 46.47%/₹522.74 lakh, Miryalguda 49.91%/₹1151.18 lakh and Naspur 50.44%/₹188.98 lakh.
Early bird
The DMA said that property owners paying the total tax for the financial year 2023-24 would be eligible for 5% rebate if the payment is made by April 30.
Multiple payment options are provided to citizens to make their payments: QR code provided in demand notices, Whatsapp chatbot number 9000253342, online system for payments through cards/netbanking/UPI/QR code payments, digital machines available with respective bill collectors, UPI payments, CSC counters available at ULBs and also the Mee Seva centres.
Citizens can also take their grievances to the revenue redressal melas in the municipal offices being conducted every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, for early resolutions, he added.
