AMC touches magic figure of Rs 100 crore tax collections

Aurangabad: The countdown for the financial year 2022-23 has begun and the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) intensified the property tax and water tax collection drive. As a result, the civic body is recording a collection of Rs 80-90 lakh daily in its exchequer. The civic administration is happy that it touched the magic figure of collecting Rs 100 crore including property tax (Rs 82.22 crore) and water tax (Rs 17.78 crore) on Wednesday. The AMC vows to inflate the collection figures up to their maximum level by March-end, said deputy commissioner Aparna Thete.

The target collection of property tax is Rs 350 crore and water tax is Rs 130 crore in 2022-23. Of the total target of Rs 480 crore, the AMC crossed Rs 100 crore collection.

Earlier, the AMC administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari and deputy commissioner Aparna Thete had taken a vow to implement the tax collection drive effectively. The zonal officers were told to prepare the list of property holders having tax dues of Rs 1 lakh and above. However, due to the delay in getting demand notes of taxes, the civic officials could distribute 70 per cent of demand notes only. Hence it is considered one of the reasons for less collection of taxes this year. The citizens, many of them, were waiting for the announcement of the amnesty scheme to pay taxes but was vain. There is no waive-off in interest and penalty on property and water taxes. On other hand, the AMC is collecting reduced water tax (Rs 2,050) since last year.

The AMC officials appealed to the citizens to pay their taxes by visiting their nearest zones (ward office), collection centres (in a few areas) or online (through e-wallet/debit/credit cards) as per their convenience. It may be noted that the AMC has introduced the facility of paying water tax online this year. Above all, the AMC has not proposed an increase in the taxes in 2023-24. Instead, it preferred to retain the old tax slabs for the convenience of the citizens, it is learnt.