Patna Municipal Corporation commissioner Kuldeep Narayan at a news meet on Monday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Pay your property (holding) tax at the click of the mouse from the comfort of your home or workplace. Unbelievable, but true.

Property owners would have to fill up a self-assessment form under the online system of filing property tax return. Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Kuldeep Narayan said the conventional method of filing property tax return (by visiting the PMC office) would also be available.

Addressing a news meet at the PMC office on Monday, commissioner Narayan said: “Making the system online would definitely reduce the residents’ burden as they no longer need to visit the PMC office to pay property tax.”

Narayan said the municipal body wants to increase the present number of around two lakh holding taxpayers against its population of 18 lakh and another floating population of five lakh.

“We have recently finished training tax collectors. They would soon send a notice to each property owner, informing him/her about the holding tax and the self-assessment form, which they have to fill up for pay their holding tax. Residents are supposed to pay their holding tax within 15 days of getting the notice. Residents would get a notice ID, which would be required while filling up the self-assessment form online. Residents need to fill up the self-assessment form on http://ptax.nagarseva.in, mentioning details of their property, including plot area and built-up area, which would help the software generate how much holding tax has to be paid. After completing the online payment, the owner would have to send a copy of the filled-up self-assessment form, challan and property paper along with their signatures to PMC. The challan would be generated online after the self-assessment form is filled up. Residents would have to take out a printout and submit it to PMC office.”

On being asked if residents don’t provide correct information in their self-assessment forms to help pay less holding tax, Narayan said: “We already have a system to check whether residents have filled up their self-assessment form or not. In case, they have committed any kind of mistake, they may be easily caught and asked to pay five times the normal fine. We have introduced the online payment system for holding tax only after being assured from every aspect.

Revenue target

PMC commissioner Narayan said: “While in the financial year, 2012-13, we were able to collect around Rs 25 crore in tax, in the 2013-14 financial year, we could mop up around Rs 37 crore in tax but for 2014-15 financial year, we have set a target of collecting Rs 50 crore. We are going to organise tax collection camps at the ward-level in June-July.”