'PMC's property tax revenue may increase above Rs 300 crore'

PATNA: Officials of the Patna Municipal Corporation's assessment department started conducting reassessment of property (holding) tax of residential, commercial and government buildings across the city, as a part of their special campaign launched for revenue generation.
On Sunday, the teams conducted survey found that around 1,200 households are not in the ambit of property tax in ward number 1, after assessing over 75% buildings. Total of 49 trained teams surveyed the properties in 49 enumeration blocks (EBs) of ward 1, taking geographical area and demarcation as its baseline. Each team comprise of data operators, team leaders and heads.
"The areas, which has been covered include Digha (Bagicha, Musahri and Mandi), Rajeev Nagar (road number 3, 7, 8, 15, 19, 23), Nepali Nagar, Ghurdaur Road, Patliputra Station area, SSB Road and Polson Road, said the city manager of Patliputra circle," Naveen Kumar.
Animesh Kumar Parashar, municipal commissioner said the civic body will create new property identifications (PIDs) for 1,200 properties, which are not in the tax ambit. "As per the PMC's data, total of 5,100 households in ward 1 have PIDs, but during the survey the team have found that 1,200 households have never registered themselves or paid any holding tax. Notices have been served to them and they have asked to get themselves registered, and pay property tax for the current year and previous years," he said.
"The special drive to collect property tax from the owners which have never registered and their details will be entered in our system so that taxes can be collected from them every year. New tax payers will be charged holding tax on the basis of the assessment," Parashar told TOI on Sunday.
According to civic body officials, there are 2.5 lakh households including residential, commercial and government buildings, which are registered till date.
The officials are anticipating that the property tax revenue will go up more than Rs 300 crore as properties falling under the tax ambit will increase once the reassessment will be done.
Apart from creation of PIDs, redressal of grievances, incorrect assessment and property tax payments among others will be addressed by the team.