HYDERABAD: With just a month left for the current financial year to end, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to crack the whip on the property tax defaulters in the city.
Over five lakh property owners owe the GHMC property tax dues to the tune of Rs 500 crore. The bill collectors were told on Monday to issue notices and also approach top defaulters and see that they clear the pending dues.
Property tax collection, after trade licence fee, is a major source of revenue collection for the civic body.
Of the 16,74,988 property tax payers in the city, over 11 lakh paid their tax and an amount of Rs 1,390 crore was collected till Sunday, as against the GHMC’s target of Rs 1,900 crore. Last year, Rs 1,245 crore was collected as property tax from 9.86 lakh owners.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration (CDMA) instructed all the urban local bodies (ULBs) to ensure 100 per cent property tax collections by the end of financial year 2020-21 by conducting special collection drives and grievance melas. However, despite timely instructions, the collection drive is progressing slowly in ULBs.
Last week, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, in a meeting convened with the Additional Collectors, had yet again directed all the municipal commissioners to give top priority to collecting property taxes and achieve 100 per cent collections by March 31. Somesh further directed the commissioners to constitute special teams, prepare action plans, and also conduct tax redressal and collections melas on every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, and all the holidays till end of the financial year.