The Hindu                    28.02.2013

Udayendram town panchayat’s record in tax collection

Staff Reporter 

Udayendram town panchayat has bagged the top spot in tax collection figures among town panchayats in Vellore district. It has achieved 100 per cent tax collection for the fifth consecutive year.

“There are 16 town panchayats in Vellore district. Among these, Udayendram town panchayat has achieved 100 per cent collection for property tax, professional tax, water tax and non-tax for five years continuously,” said S.M. Malayaman Thirumudikari, assistant director, town panchayats, Vellore.

The town panchayat has achieved its target of collecting property tax to the tune of Rs. 7.78 lakh, professional tax of Rs. 2 lakh, water tax of Rs. 3.5 lakh and non-tax of Rs. 2.5 lakh, he said. Last year, Udayendram was among five town panchayats in the district to receive the merit certificate from the Collector for its achievement in tax collection.

Following this, there are plans to seek the equation fund for the town panchayat, Mr. Thirumudikari said. If a town panchayat achieves cent per cent tax collection, then it can apply for equation fund in which a certain percentage of the amount would be given to the local body as grant. This fund could be utilised for water supply, public health works and solid waste management. This gives a further boost for the town panchayat.

Mohammed Rizwan, executive officer of Udayendram town panchayat, said the local body had first achieved 100 per cent tax collection during 2008-2009. “From the next fiscal, we started educating the public on tax payment. We explained to them that paying tax for one year was trouble-free rather than paying a big amount due to accumulation as it would create difficulties. This worked as the public started to pay yearly taxes,” he said.

Efforts for collecting tax through door-to-door measures began in September 2012 and demand notices giving details of the amount to be paid were issued, Mr. Rizwan said. “We achieved 70 per cent tax collection in December. The remaining 30 per cent was achieved in January,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Natrampalli and Alangayam town panchayats have achieved 75 per cent and 71 per cent tax collection respectively, Mr. Thirumudikari said. Special drives were under way at town panchayats which had recorded tax collection figures of less than 70 per cent so far.