The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) would soon facilitate online banking facility, relieving residents of the pain of standing in spiral queues at civic offices or banks to pay property taxes.

Taking a step ahead in digitising the process of filing property tax returns, PMC has tied up with Punjab National Bank to allow property owners to pay their taxes using debit/credit cards or net banking.

The civic body started online filing of property tax returns through its website (patnanagarnigam.in) from the beginning of this month but the actual payment of the amount was still required to be paid either at its circle offices, civic centres or empanelled banks.

PMC commissioner Kuldip Narayan said: “We would start the online payment of property taxes within 15 days. People would be able to pay their property taxes even if they are out of the city after its launch. We have got good response in the recently commenced online self-assessment for filing property tax returns and we expect more people to use the facility.”

The process of self-assessment for property has been started in pursuance of Bihar Municipal Property Tax (Assessment, Collection and Recovery) Rules, 2013, which was given a nod by the state cabinet on January 29, 2013.

The rules envisaging compulsory self-assessment and tax on vacant land was to be implemented by all urban local bodies from April 1.

For residents who don’t have a computer at home or cannot operate those would also be able to file their property tax returns by visiting the PMC’s empanelled cybercafes in their neighbourhood.

“We have empanelled 22 cybercafes for filing property tax returns till date and we aim to rope in another 100 within a month. Those filing the property tax returns from empanelled cybercafes would need to pay an user charge of Rs 25 to the owner,” said Narayan.