The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD hopes to achieve property tax collection target this year

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

MCD hopes to achieve property tax collection target this year

Staff Reporter

The civic body could muster only half of the revenue target last year

NEW DELHI: Taking lessons from its failure to meet the property tax collection target in the last financial year, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has begun its tax collection drive in right earnest for the current fiscal. Nearly 40,000 taxpayers have already deposited their dues, while many more are likely to file their returns before June 30, 2007, to avail of the various rebate schemes.

In view of the allegations by the Municipal Councillors about shortage of forms for filing the tax returns, the civic body has made available more than 7-lakh forms for the current financial year. The first two months have seen an unexpected rush of residents, and senior MCD officials feel many more would come to file their returns to avail of the rebate by making timely payment of tax.

"We have already announced that this year we are not going to extend our deadline for availing of the various rebate schemes. So people in large numbers have taken forms from us and we expect many taxpayers will deposit their property tax and arrears before June 30," said a senior Assessment and Collection Department official, adding that special arrangements have been made to help taxpayers file their returns.

Stating that returns could be filed at MCD's zonal offices and Citizen Service Bureaus, he said senior officials have been deputed to contact residents' welfare associations (RWAs), cooperative group housing societies and other resident groups for organising special camps so that residents could submit their property tax. One senior MCD officer would be made available at these camps to help taxpayers in filing their returns, he added.

In 2005-06, against the target of Rs.1,576.16 crores, the MCD managed to collect only Rs.787 crores, setting the alarm bells ringing at Town Hall, forcing them to start the tax collection drive early this year. The MCD official are also trying hard to increase the tax base that now stands at 9.5-lakh properties.

"Despite an increase of 2.5-lakh properties in the last fiscal, the tax collection declined. There are around 22-lakh properties in the Capital and we are trying to increase our tax net to boost collections," said one senior official.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail