Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has announced a record collection of Rs 15.98crore holding tax so far this year, the windfall being attributed to demonetisation that pushed people to use up old currency, even as the three-month deadline for residents to complete a self-assessment process and pay ends on Wednesday.
"The drive received the support of common people who have come forward to deposit their holding tax. In the last fiscal year, RMC had collected Rs 12 crore holding tax against an expected target of Rs 9 crore. In the coming fiscal year, RMC expects to collect around Rs 40 crore holding tax," commissioner Prashant Kumar told the media adding that by the end of the 2-16-17 fiscal, RMC expected to collect around Rs 35 crore holding tax.
There are 2.50 lakh registered properties under RMC's jurisdiction of which 1.50lakh are privately-owned. RMC distributed 1.50 lakh self-assessment forms among private owners of which 77,547 people completed the process and paid their holding taxes.
For the remaining one lakh properties, comprising government buildings, residential colonies like HEC, CMPDI and Mecon, RMC has already asked them submit self-assessment forms and ensure deposit of holding taxe.
For owners who miss the Wednesday deadline, Prashant said they could submit the their assessment forms subject to a penalty of Rs 2,000, for private, and Rs 5,000, for commercial, properties.
On residents' request to extend the deadline, the commissioner said the RMC was supposed to meet in a couple of days. "If the board approves it, we will request the government to pass an order," he said.
COAL BELT ORDER
Dhanbad Municipal Corporation has asked its outsourced collection agency, Ritika Printech, to ensure house-to- house collection of self assessment forms to minimise inconvenience of residents who were having to spend hours at the DMC counters while submitting their forms, the deadline for which ends on Wednesday.
On whether RMC would be able to maintain and/or increase tax collections in the next fiscal year, the commissioner claimed there would be no shortfall in revenue.
"Once people have submitted self-assessment of their properties it becomes part of our official data. On the basis of their declaration, they will have to pay holding tax next fiscal too," he said, adding that RMC would begin physical verification of all self-assessments from March.
RMC sources revealed that a majority of properties owned by the government had piled up tax dues running into crores. But, some like Suchana Bhavan recently shelled out dues of Rs 23 lakh.
Several government undertakings like CMPDI, CCL, HEC and Mecon, that run residential colonies, have been given a single holding number for entire complex.
RMC has decided to felicitate top 10 assesses of each of the 55 wards with a bronze plate embedded with their name and holding number.
"We will also felicitate three top wards for highest deposit and highest sell-assessment," he added.
