As
per civic estimates, the civic Tax Assessment
and Collection department has already crossed
the target of Rs 124 crore allocated for the current
financial year in January itself. This is attributed
to the aggressive carrot and stick policies of
the department to encourage more and more tax
collection.
The
department took the bold step of acquiring properties
of defaulters. More than 300 properties have been
seized for default on payment of such taxes. The
corporation has decided to sell off the properties
in public auctions to recover the outstanding
assessment taxes from them. Several such exercises
have been taken in the recent past and are likely
to intensify towards the end of the current financial
year.
As
a carrot policy, the Tax Assessment and Collection
department has embarked upon a novel idea to encourage
payment of taxes through incentives. The department
has offered to provide insurance cover of Rs 25,000
to citizens who clear up their outstanding taxes
before February 28. Such citizens, their spouses
and two children above the age of five years would
be covered under the scheme.
The
department has entered into a contract with a
state insurance firm. The corporation will pay
the premium of Rs 7 per taxpayer per month to
the firm for the insurance cover. It allocated
a sum of Rs 10 lakh in the current budget for
the purpose and the response from the tax payers
so far is tremendous.
With
the chances of exceeding the target by many a
mile looking bright the civic administration has
revised its income under the head for the current
fiscal year to Rs 141 crore. The revision has
also been made in the wake of the fact that around
8,000 new properties have been included in the
tax net in the current year.
The
civic administration has kept a target of Rs 152
crore under the head in the forthcoming financial
year to meet. The authorities hope that the rise
in number of housing and commercial complexes
would enable it to meet the target comfortably.
The
authorities will also launch a survey of properties
in the city from April 1, 2009 onwards to identify
the nature of use (from residential to commercial
or otherwise). Additions and alterations would
also be identified during the mega survey of the
1.43 lakh taxable properties in a bid to hike
the civic revenues under the head in the next
accounting year.
The
civic administration has also decided to up grade
the department in the coming financial year. The
entire system of tax collection would be computerised
and linked to the main department. So far five
out of the nine ward councils have the facility.
The remaining four would also be provided with
the facility and up linked to the central Tax
Assessment and Collection department.
