Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), which has been failing to achieve 100 per cent tax collection, is going to outsource tax collection work to a private firm.

The decision was taken at the PMC's board meeting on Friday, and PMC commissioner Abhishek Singh said the private firm would be paid only if it can collect 90 per cent of the total tax.

"This year we have fixed the target of holding-tax collection at Rs 100 crore," he said. "That means the private firm will have to ensure collection of Rs 90 crore."

The PMC, sources said, has failed to achieve its holding-tax collection target in the last few years. Last year, it collected Rs 42 crore of the target of Rs 80 crore.

"The private agencies engage IT-savvy people while we don't have very skilled persons at the corporation," Singh said. "Also, in the last few years, there has been no recruitment in the corporation so we are facing a manpower crunch. If we give the tax collection work to a private agency, we can focus on the other major works related to civic amenities."

The tender to select an agency would be floated within the next seven days, he said, and "it would take another two months to complete the other formalities".

The PMC meeting also decided to buy six dumper placers (big containers for garbage), two suction machines (for choked sewerage), 96 dustbins, and a new PMC office building for around Rs 12 crore.

"We have also floated a tender for the purchase of a road-sweeping machine," Singh said.

During Prakash Utsav, the PMC had brought two such machines from Phulwarisharif and Biharsharif Nagar Parishads.