Ghaziabad News: The Ghaziabad municipal corporation is making a dedicated effort to ensure that 100% of property tax collections from households are conducted through online payment transactions, according to informed officials.
Revenue to increase with GIS survey
In response to directives from the state government, officials have been instructed to pursue this goal, especially since the current online payment coverage is estimated at roughly 60-65 percent. The municipal corporation’s jurisdiction encompasses approximately 448,000 properties, and this number is anticipated to grow to 664,000 as previously untaxed properties are incorporated into the tax system following a Geographic Information System (GIS) survey conducted last year.
Corporation’s chief tax assessment officer, Sanjeev Kumar Sinha, said, “In accordance with government directives received on August 10, we have been instructed to achieve 100 per cent online tax payment coverage. Currently, our coverage stands at approximately 60-65 per cent for approximately 4.48 lakh properties. To achieve this goal, we are planning to procure POS machines and have also initiated efforts to enable payments through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI).
Current revenue of Ghaziabad’s civic body
Official records reveal that the corporation has established a fiscal year 2023-24 target of about ₹33,230.44 lakh, while from April 1 to August 29 this year, it has already collected around ₹8,198.01 lakh. In the previous fiscal year 2022-23, the civic agency managed to collect ₹20,667.1 lakh in tax revenue, falling short of the ₹26,813.3 lakh target. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2021-22, the collection amounted to approximately ₹17,547.98 lakh, which was below the targeted ₹25,935.04 lakh.
Sinha further said, “At present, tax payments can be made through limited online modes, and cash payments are also accepted at our zonal offices. A computerised receipt is provided instantly. We anticipate that by the end of this year, property owners will be able to make payments online and in a cashless manner.”
Over 33,061 shops operating in residences
According to a recent survey conducted by the corporation in August, it was uncovered that there are at least 33,061 shops operating within residential buildings and houses in the city. Surprisingly, these establishments have been taxed at residential rates rather than commercial rates. To rectify this, the corporation has formulated a strategy to reclassify these establishments as mixed land use, thereby subjecting them to commercial tax rates, which are generally three to six times higher than residential rates.
Officials project that the current tax revenue from these 33,061 shops stands at ₹6,67,29,006 per year, but it is expected to soar to ₹31,09,89,420 under the commercial rate. This transition is estimated to yield an additional revenue of approximately ₹24,42,60,414 for the municipal body.
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