HYDERABAD: The ‘One Time Settlement Scheme’ (OTS) offering waiver of 90 per cent interest on the accumulated arrears of property tax if the total dues were settled in one go, has fetched around Rs 170 crore for the cash-strapped Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
Officials said that the last date for the scheme was October 31 and there will be no extension as of now. As many as 59,830 property owners utilised the scheme in Hyderabad, helping the civic body collect around Rs 170 crore. On Monday, the last date for the scheme, 8,776 property owners availed the scheme and Rs 67.18 crore was collected by the civic body.
Sources told Express that the GHMC expected around Rs 300 crore from four lakh property owners, including the State government and undertakings.In July this year, the State government came up with the OTS again, extending the scheme to all ULBs in Telangana.
For those who have paid their entire property tax dues, including interest / penalties up to March 2022 during the current fiscal, 90 per cent of such interest/penalties would be adjusted against future payments.
GHMC Commissioner DS Lokesh Kumar appreciated the efforts of the officials and urged them to continue the momentum.
As against the general target of property tax collection of Rs 2,000 crore for 2022-23, the GHMC has collected nearly Rs 1,325 crore till October 31, 2022. Khairatabad zone topped the list with over Rs 400 crore followed by Serilingampally zone with Rs 290 crore.