Municipal Corporation of Tirupati collects 12 crore property tax

Tirupati: Despite the difficult period of Covid-19 pandemic, the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) has registered 16.3 per cent increase in property tax collection this year. This year the Corporation has collected Rs 12 crore as property tax for the two months, April and May, while the tax collection for the same period last year was Rs 9.92 crore.

For the convenient of the tax payers, the Corporation after the relaxation of lock down rules by the state government , set up four counters in the sprawling Lalithakala Thoranam (meeting hall) in the corporation office premises accelerating the tax collection.

Necessary arrangements to comply with the safety norms including maintaining social distance, providing sanitisers etc are provided in the hall besides seating arrangements. The Corporation has a total of about 68,000 property tax payers and among them 19,500 have paid the tax till the end of May. The total property tax demand amounts to Rs 42 crore.

The payment of property tax for the current financial year began in April and due to Covid-19, the Corporation as a special case allowed 5 percent rebate in property tax to those who pay the tax till June end. Normally, the Corporation provides the rebate till April 30.

As the lock down continued since March 22, the Corporation authorities have been asking the tax payers to pay the taxand MCT was able to achieve a substantial increase in property tax collection despite the lockdown.