MYSURU: Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has collected a record 46% of property tax in the first month of the 2024-25 financial year.
According to MCC sources, officials of all nine zones have collected Rs 91.5 crore in property tax as against the target of Rs 199.9 crore for this fiscal year.
During the corresponding period last year, MCC had collected Rs 86 crore.
As the deadline to avail 5% rebate also ended on April 30, nearly 24,000 property owners have availed the benefit by paying the tax within the set deadline.
This has happened despite MCC officials being drafted for election duty and complaints about online payment.
The MCC has seen a good beginning in property tax revenue inflow riding high on the 5% discount offered to the taxpayers for early payment.
Last year, the state govt increased the guidance value by 30% to 50% effective from Oct 1, 2023.
MCC deputy commissioner Satyamurthy told TOI that officials have been collecting property taxes based on the guidance value that has been revised by the state govt this year. Depending on the classification, area, road width, and business activities of that particular area, property taxes have gone up by 15% to 20% this year.
There are 1,83,000 properties in MCC limits. Property tax is one of the important sources of revenue for the MCC along with other sources like trade licence and building licence fees.
Satyamurthy said the 5% tax rebate for both residential and commercial properties coupled with multiple facilities like online payment or through banks and directly in zone offices, has helped the civic agency collect record tax in April this year despite officials being on election duty.
Wide publicity to utilize the tax rebate benefits, increased consciousness among taxpayers to pay tax, and other tax payment simplification initiated by MCC have also contributed to the record of tax collection, he said. He also said there is no proposal before MCC to extend the 5% rebate by another one month.
Former mayor BL Bhyrappa asked MCC and the state govt to extend the rebate by another month as most of the taxpayers were not able to utilize this benefit due to elections and heat wave. “As MCC is collecting property tax based on the increased guidance value, there is no clarity among residents over payment of the tax with increased guidance value,” he said.
Bhyrappa said former mayors will meet the MCC commissioner to appeal to extend the 5% rebate by another one month.
