The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) recorded its highest-ever property tax collection at ₹944 crore in financial year 2018-19, officials said on Tuesday.

The Department of Assessment and Collection of SDMC evaluated its earnings from residential and commercial properties as the fiscal year closed on March 31.

Property tax is the highest source of revenue for all the municipal corporations in Delhi followed by toll tax, advertising and parking. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation recently declared a 20% rise in its property tax earning in 2018-19 while the East Delhi Municipal Corporation said it has registered a decline of 18% in this category.

The SDMC’s ‘Transfer Duty’ (tax earned when a property changes hands) also went up.

SDMC commissioner, Puneet Kumar Goel said that “this is the fourth year in a row the corporation has managed to increase its house tax.” “This achievement has been made possible by the relentless efforts of the property tax assessment staff who convinced taxpayers to submit their dues,” he said. “Also, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had repeatedly told us during review meetings that enhancing property tax is crucial for SDMC to generate money for Smart City projects.”

The Assessor and Collector (SDMC), Rahul Garg said that collection from government agencies and departments such as NTPC, Delhi Police, Delhi government’s education department and India Habitat Centre helped. “The department will focus on digitisation of property tax papers to widen its tax net in the coming year,” he said.

Joint Assessor and Collector (SDMC) Radha Krishan said that the SDMC kept its offices open on Saturdays and last Sunday during March, 2019 for tax payment.

First Published: Apr 10, 2019 07:53 IST