Calcutta: The Assembly on Monday passed the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018, which seeks to extend the period of self-assessment and payment of property tax by 60 days.

"The amendment is necessary to allow residents of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) an extended period for submission of their property tax after self-assessment (of properties)," urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim said after tabling the bill.

The deadline for the payment of tax of self-assessed properties was June 2, Hakim said. Only 3,759 taxpayers had paid their tax by then.

"These people (who have paid their taxes) form a negligible portion of the total number of tax-payers," the minister added.

The 60-day period will be counted from the day the government issues a gazette notification announcing the implementation of the act.

Congress MLA Sukhbilas Barma raised the question while taking part in the debate whether the NKDA, a development agency, had the right to collect property tax.

"The state government, through the NKDA act in 2007, had transferred its power to collect taxes in New Town to NKDA," Hakim replied.