The Hindu        13.11.2014 

City to get 161 tax payment centres

Come December 1, a total of 161 integrated centres where residents can pay both property and water taxes will come up across the city.

These centres will come up in existing division offices of the Corporation and depot offices of Metrowater.

Tie-up with bank

The facility is the result of an agreement between the two civic agencies and ING Vysya Bank, and is aimed at making the process easy for citizens.

ING Vysya Bank will sponsor manpower at the centres, which will remain open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Payment of property tax can be made by cheque or DD.

Receipts on the spot

Officials said receipts for the payment would be provided at the centres itself.

The existing system of property tax collection has various modes of payment, including facilitation counters in the city’s 15 zones and at Ripon Buildings, walk-in counters at 400 bank branches, door-to-door collection by tax collectors and online payment.

With a target of Rs. 600 crore, the civic body may exceed its property tax collection target this year.

Councillor S.M.K. Mohammad Ali Jinnah said the new centres would help residents in areas that are not near zonal offices.

The Corporation’s online system of property tax collection has been disrupted a number of times because of problems in its electronic data processing cell.

Residents will be able to pay both water and property taxes at the integrated centres that will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.