The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : Intensive drive to collect taxes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Intensive drive to collect taxes

By S. Ganesan

TIRUCHI, DEC.7. In a concerted attempt at shoring up its revenue, the Corporation has launched an intensive drive with a special thrust on mopping up arrears in property and water taxes.

Faced with mounting arrears in property tax, water tax and other non-tax heads, the civic body has identified major tax defaulters, who would come under special focus. According to officials, there were about 25,000 tax assesses with arrears and efforts were under way to ensure that the dues were collected at the earliest.

To start with, lists of the top 300 defaulters in each of the four zones have been prepared and teams of bill collectors and senior officials would concentrate on persuading them to pay up.

Though the percentage of collection of taxes has been relatively better this fiscal, the Corporation still has much work to do. Out of the annual total collectable property tax demand of Rs.14.48 crores, the Corporation has managed to collect about Rs.6.82 crores till November 30, accounting for realisation of just about 47 per cent. Under water tax, just Rs.2.13 crores has been realised till the said period out of the total annual collectable demand of Rs.7.13 crores.

Under a fortnight-long special drive launched on December 1, all the seven online computerised service centres of the Corporation would function from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (including Saturdays and Sundays) so as to enable tax payers to remit their property, water tax and other non-tax dues. The taxes could be remitted through online counters at 22 designated bank branches also. The civic body is exploring the possibility of bringing more bank branches under online system.

The Corporation Commissioner, Harmander Singh, said a token system has been introduced at the service counters. Besides, shamianas and seating arrangements have been made at the centres. Demand notices have been sent to individual assesses by post.

Though the special drive provided the desired results, officials were keen to bring about an attitudinal change among taxpayers, many of whom prefer to wait till the end of the financial year to pay taxes. As per the Corporation Act, assesses have to remit taxes within the first 15 days of the commencement of the half-yearly period, officials pointed out.

During the first week of the special drive, the Corporation has managed to collect about Rs.86.11 lakhs under property tax and Rs.29.93 lakhs under water tax. It is working on achieving a collection of 80 to 90 per cent of the collectable demands.

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