The Cochin Corporation is pulling up its socks to bring money into
its coffers. A slew of measures are on its way to boost the financial
situation of the corporation.

The corporation has brought to the
notice of the state government the need for another look at the new tax
revisions adopted in 2013, as they are not enough to earn reasonable
taxes from newly constructed buildings. It has also pointed out to the
state government the need to revise the slabs of professional tax which
was formulated a long time back. Earlier, reports had pointed out that
property tax and professional tax were the thrust areas where the
corporation faces a severe revenue drop. The shortage of revenue
inspectors in a city like Kochi, which is developing at a fast pace, was
also pointed out.

A dues repayment of Rs 24 lakh had been
demanded by the Kerala State Civil Supplies Authorities (KSCSA) from the
corporation. Regarding this, the corporation said that KSCSC has not
yet clarified which vehicles were responsible for the dues.

 Apart
from the unavailability of details of vehicles, sources also point out
that KSCSC itself is indebted to the corporation, as they have to pay up
Rs 35 lakh as property taxes.

Also, steps have been accelerated
to rein in two serious tax defaulters: the state and the Central
government owned buildings. Officials said that surcharges will be
slapped on the Central government buildings and default property taxes
will be booked and levied from the state government buildings on a war
footing.

In addition to the Rs 70 lakh that the corporation is
spending on pensions for regular workers, it will press the state to
release 40 crores for the same. Sources say that the contractors, who
have been given Rs 70 lakh in the last three years, will also benefit
from the revenue inflow into the corporation.

Leaving the ones
that are sub-judice, Rs 3.75 crore has already been levied in the last
year from constructions that were found as illegal, adding an additional
revenue for the corporation. Cash is also expected to flow into the
corporation from its new initiatives to collect revenue surplus from
advertisements and other resources.

“We are waging a war to boost the income of the corporation which often goes unnoticed”, said a source in the corporation.