SCB nets 9 crore tax collection

Terming Rs 9 crore tax collections as windfall may not seem too big but, when one considers the low tax collections that the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) is used to, officials are more than happy.

Even the most reluctant tax payers and toughest willful defaulters turned up to pay their property and water bills, thanks to the demonetisation.

In a matter of a fortnight, fortunes of the cash-strapped SCB changed for the better. A majority of about 60,000 tax payers headed to the 20-odd counters that were specially set-up at the office in Secunderabad.

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The Secunderabad Cantonment Board tax department normally collects Rs 5-6 lakh per month but between November 11 and 24 the department received Rs 6 crore.

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Earlier this year, in June SCB had launched a campaign against non-payment of tax and warned of property attachment.

A number of property owners and residents of Bowenpally, Marredpally and Balamrai who were served notices earlier this year came forward to pay up.

The tax department normally collects Rs 5-6 lakh per month but between November 11 and 24 the department received Rs 6 crore. The water wing too received good revenue.

“On an average it gets Rs 90,000 to Rs 1 lakh towards water bill but in six days it could collect Rs 1.6 crore,” said water wing superintended Raj Kumar.

Though the SCB has stopped accepting old notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500, people are paying up. Anne, superintendent, tax department says, “When a neighbour pays up others follow suit.

The rush has come down but, people are still coming to pay their taxes.” Property tax rates were revised in 2014 after a gap of two decades in the Secunderabad Cantonment which is spread over 40.17sqkm.