The Hindu 26.06.2013
HDMC to start door-to-door tax collection
Bill collectors to issue notice, collect property tax on the spot
Come July, property owners in parts of Hubli-Dharwad can
paying property tax at their doorstep. In a first-of-its-kind
initiative, the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) will launch
door-to-door collection of property tax from July 1.
Bill
collectors appointed by the corporation will visit houses and issue
notice for the annual property tax. Earlier, notice to defaulters was
issued manually in the first three months of the financial year.
However, the corporation faced problems in collection due to lack of manpower.
From
July, point-of-sale (POS) machines will be provided to bill collectors
who will not only issue the tax notice but also collect the money and
issue receipts to property owners.
Three bill
collectors, who are ward clerks of the HDMC, have been trained to use
the POS machines. Two of them will make visits in Hubli and one will do
the same in Dharwad.
Under the new system, tax will
be computed as per database records. Taxpayers can make the required
payment to the collectors in cash on the spot, which will be posted to
their khata (property tax account). Failure to pay taxes would lead to
the issuing of warrants and confiscation of property.
HDMC
Joint Commissioner Veerendra Kundagol said, “This project will prove
beneficial in two ways. First, the notice issued by collectors will be
acknowledged by the recipient immediately, thus avoiding
miscommunication. Secondly, it will take care of the procrastinating
attitude of the public.”
Mr. Kundagol claimed that
often there was a conflict between the authorities and the public, as
the latter failed to receive notice or got it late. The new system would
put an end to such discrepancies. He was confident that it would
accelerate tax collection, and thereby increase investments in
developmental projects.
Currently, three PSO machines
procured from a local vendor will be used. The authorities are
confident about the success of this project and plan to launch it on a
larger scale if they receive a positive response.
The HDMC achieved a record collection of property tax during the previous financial year, with a collection of Rs. 32.6 crore.
This year it plans to collect Rs. 35 crore to Rs. 36 crore. By May-end, the corporation had already collected over Rs. 10 crore.
