Hyderabad: GHMC fails to reach tax collection target

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has failed to reach its target of property tax collection for 2021-2022 financial year. Though the Corporation had targeted to collect Rs 1,852 crore, it was able to collect only Rs 1,495 crore making a huge difference of Rs 357 crore. Though the Corporation formed special teams and also set up centres in every circle, the tax collection remained at a sluggish pace.

In 2020-2021 financial year, it managed to collect Rs 1,633.75 crore. According to GHMC officials, those who failed to pay the property tax will have to shell out more in the form of 2 per cent interest on the tax amount.

Giving further details of tax collection, officials said that among all six zones of the Corporation, Khairatabad zone had topped the charts with Rs 408 crore collection, followed by Serilingampally zone with Rs 290 crore, Kukatpally zone with 252.90 crore, Secunderabad zone with Rs 207.71 crore, LB Nagar zone with Rs 229.52 crore and Charminar zone with Rs 102.16 crore.

Adding further, the officials said that within the GHMC limits, of the 16 lakh taxpayers, 10 lakh have paid the tax. Those who fail to pay taxes will now be fined 24 per cent of the amount they have to pay, they informed.

Besides the tax collection issue, the GHMC also have a big task ahead with contactors who have been alleging the Corporation of not clearing their pending bills since August 2021.