Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided not to launch an amnesty scheme offering a discount on the interest levied on the principal amount of property tax, this year. The decision seems to be proving dearer to the civic administration as the citizens, who were waiting for the scheme got disappointed, and they preferred to stay away from paying the tax dues. Hence the AMC has entered into the last month of the current financial year and it could record a collection of property tax of Rs 88 crore till February 28, 2023.
The target collection of property tax is Rs 350 crore and water tax is Rs 130 crore (total is Rs 480 crore) in 2022-23. In the last financial year, the AMC succeeded in exceeding the collection of Rs 100 crore in December and by the end of the financial year (March 31, 2022) the total collection was Rs 136 crore. The countdown has begun. There are 30 days left with AMC, Now the question is, will it be possible to achieve at least Rs 100 crore property tax collection by March 31?
The AMC levies a 2 per cent interest per month on the principal tax. It is 24 per cent for the year, but the interest is compounding and the figure goes up till the payment is not made.
Deputy commissioner Aparna Thete said, “The water tax has been reduced to 50 per cent (instead of Rs 4,050, the AMC is collecting Rs 2,050) for the minimum size of the residential connection. I appeal to the citizens to respond to the tax recovery drive positively.”
Former mayor Nandkumar Ghodele said that the AMC should continue the amnesty scheme at least for a month in March.
Former corporator Bhausaheb Jagtap said the payment of tax by the citizens will help AMC to undertake new development works in the city. For the past three years, the civic administration is focussing on repair and maintenance works.