COIMBATORE: In an attempt to augment its revenue, the city municipal corporation in the budget has proposed a name transfer fee. The transfer fee will be applicable only to property tax assessment of buildings and vacant lands in the corporation limits which undergo a change of ownership.

At the moment, the corporation does not have any additional fee for change of ownership except the nominal application form fee which has to be submitted after filling up the details of the new owner after completing the formalities at the registration department. "We have proposed it in our budget as an option to increase the revenue of the local body. The new budget has also not included any fresh tax and the name transfer fee will not be a huge amount," said S Sivarasu, deputy commissioner, Coimbatore Municipal Corporation.

According to the corporation, there were around Rs 4,00,000 property tax assessment and vacant land assessment in the corporation limits. They have also identified that a minimum additional revenue of Rs 2 crore could be generated through the name transfer fee which as per the budget announcement would be Rs 200 or 0.1 per cent of the property value or whichever is higher at the time of application. However, a few city residents claimed that with the government hiking the registration fee recently, the corporation's additional fee will be an added burden. They also raised apprehension about the possibility of the corporation introducing the fee at the moment and later hiking it as per their revenue requirements. "Though they have not openly taxed the public in the budget, the corporation could have avoided the name transfer fee," said S Kanagasundaram, former president, Association of Licensed Building Surveyors.

However, sources in corporation indicated that the corporation might make some modifications in the name transfer fee rates at the council meeting in the coming week. The civic body might reframe the name transfer fee tariff and charge 0.05% for property whose value is below Rs 50 lakh and 0.01% for those with a higher market rate. The corporation has announced that it will raise the rent for its commercial complexes. It had already increased the rent for those complexes that completed an allotment period of nine years.

COIMBATORE: The untimely appearance of a corporation vehicle with a fogging machine does not necessarily mean the local body is going all out to control the mosquito menace. These corporation vehicles are working extra time only to encourage the public to pay property dues on time.

On Tuesday, one of these vehicles fitted with loudspeakers negotiated every nook and corner in Peelamedu area during the day making announcements. "I have never seen this vehicle in our area to carry out fogging activities. But when it comes to revenue generation the civic body seems to go the extra mile," said R Raveendran of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore ( RAAC).

The corporation has five vehicles mounted with fogging machines for carrying out mosquito control activities in the five zones. These vehicles are fitted with loudspeakers and they traverse each zone reminding the public to pay their property tax dues to avoid penalties. "This does not affect mosquito control measures as fogging is usually carried out only in the evening," a sanitary inspector said. At the end of every financial year the corporation employs all available vehicles to reach the public, he added.

Though officials claimed the fogging vehicles would start fogging activities by 5 pm in their respective zones, residents challenge this claim. They allege that mosquito control activities have taken a backseat as the corporation utilizes these vehicles primarily to aid revenue generation rather than conduct fogging activities. To begin with, each zone has 20 wards and 1 vehicle is far from adequate to complete activities in all 20 wards.

Informed sources reveal that the corporation is doing whatever it can to retain the best corporation award received from the state government last year, primarily for achieving 87 % tax collections in 2011-12, the highest among urban local bodies in Tamil Nadu. As of Wednesday, the corporation has collected only 78 % tax dues while the target for 2012-13 financial year is set at 90 %. "No one in the state has achieved 90 % tax collections and with more than 15 days remaining for the end of this financial year we hope to achieve the target comfortably," said a senior official.