AP registers 19.40% rise in property tax collections in current fiscal

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh registered a 19.40 per cent rise in property tax collection in the current fiscal up to November 4 despite Covid-19 affecting the economy badly. The municipal administration authorities collected Rs 752.62 crore from April 1 to November 4, 2020 against Rs 630.26 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal. The authorities had set a Rs 1,958.88 crore tax collection target in the current fiscal and have so far managed to collect 38.40 per cent of it. On November 4 alone, the state collected Rs 1.97 crore in tax against Rs 1.36 crore on November 4, 2019.

Municipal authorities credit this rise in tax collections to the 3,913 ward secretariats in 120 urban local bodies that were created newly in the state. With each ward Secretariat having an administrative secretary, it had become easy to collect property tax.

The secretary took up an awareness campaign among property owners about the series of incentives being offered by the government to taxpayers. They were also entrusted with the task of door-to-door visits to collect tax and this enabled some people who were unable to visit municipal offices for the same. Online payment of taxes also boosted property tax collections.

In addition to this, the state government extended early bird rebate of five per cent on property tax up to July 31, 2020 even though such rebates used to be limited to only the first month of April in the current fiscal. Property owners who could clear tax dues for the current year at one go were offered rebate. Municipal administration authorities maintain that a good number of people availed the extended rebate.

The civic authorities also did not levy two per cent interest per month on late payment of property tax in order to encourage payment.

A senior official from municipal administration said, “We have witnessed 19.40 per cent rise in property tax collections so far in the current fiscal when compared with the last year for the same period as the state government came up with a series of initiatives like introduction of ward secretariats. The secretaries are playing crucial role in educating the property owners to pay taxes and they are also collecting taxes door-to-door.”