Thane Municipal Corporation records property tax collection of Rs. 100 crore in the first one and a half month of the financial year 2023-24.
Abhijit Bangar, municipal commissioner said that the collection is approximately 10% of the targeted annual revenue. Interestingly, the collected revenue is 10% more than the property tax that was collected in FY 2022-23.
The core reason behind the increase in property tax submission is city’s beautification work and citizens’ initiatives to keep the city nice and clean.
Bangar said, “We had set a property tax target collection of Rs. 1,000 crore for this fiscal year. We had appealed to the residents to pay their taxes on time and they have responded. Our property tax collection reached Rs.100.8 crore by May 10. Last year, till the same date, our collections were a measly Rs.11.4 crore. The number of properties brought under the tax ambit has also seen a rise this year from 6,145 last year to 74,908 crore this year.”
He further said 51.25% of the citizens have availed of the online facility to pay the tax.
Commissioner said, “33 percent of taxpayers have paid tax through cheque. The tax repayment rate in cash has now come down to 8.8 percent. Also, the highest tax payment of Rs.36.19 crore has been made in the Majiwada-Manpada area. While the lowest tax payment of Rs.2.54 crore is in the Mumbai area.”
Timely disbursal of property tax bills is another big reason for the generation of massive property tax.
Abhijit Bangar also said, “Till last year, bills were generated and issued by May end but this year we preponed it to April. Also, we opened up new online windows for tax payments on the very first day of the fiscal which may have encouraged taxpayers to start paying taxes. Many who were hesitant to stand up in the queues supported this online scheme.”
Citizens are joyous with a hefty amount of property tax and reminded the authority to ensure city’s maintenance.
A resident wished to stay anonymous said, “Thane city especially Godhbander road and Diva , Mumbra suburbs are spending money due to water scarcity since the last several years while bad roads is also a frequent complaint in the city. We now expect the corporation to make appropriate allocations on these fronts and provide better living conditions and good value for tax money of the citizens.”
