Margao civic body’s budget relies chiefly on grants from govt

Margao: Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has relied largely on government grants and contributions while preparing its Rs 84.6 crore surplus budget for the financial year 2023-24. The budget has provided for government grants and contributions aggregating to Rs 33.2 crore, up from Rs 29.9 crore projected in the last year’s budget, which works out to nearly 42% of the budget expenditure.
While receipts from municipal rates and taxes have been pegged at Rs 17.9 crore, revenue from municipal properties apart from taxation has been projected to be Rs 26.1 crore.
Significantly, the budget has projected an expenditure of Rs 60 lakh towards honorarium to chairperson and councillors, up from Rs 33 lakh budgeted in the last fiscal.
While the MMC realised an amount of Rs 8 crore by way of taxes on houses and land during the first eight months of the last fiscal, the budget for the next financial year has projected receipts from the same head at Rs 15 crore. Sources in the taxation section said that as the municipality aims at bringing all illegal houses into the tax net, the projected receipts for the current fiscal have been increased.
The MMC managed to collect an amount of Rs 4.3 crore from hotels and restaurants in the city by way of collection of garbage fees during the first eight months of the last fiscal. The civic body has projected receipts under the same head for the next fiscal at Rs 12 crore.
Apart from a major chunk of government grants going towards payment of DA and salaries to municipal employees, the budget has provided for an amount of Rs 5 crore to be received from the government as grants for various development works. This is apart from a grant of Rs 1 crore towards development of island gardens, open spaces and dog shelter, another Rs 1 crore for purchase of vehicles, Rs 5 crore towards solid waste management, among others.