GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar expressed confidence that the GHMC could collect Rs. 1,250 crores as property tax this financial year by following “Tax Manthra” scrupulously.
The Commissioner has inaugurated an Orientation Training Programme for the Revenue family of GHMC including Bill Collectors, Tax Inspectors, Advertisement Inspectors, Licensing Officers, Valuation Officers, Assistant Municipal Commissioners, Deputy Municipal Commissioners, Zonal Commissioners organized at a private function hall today. The Commissioner said that the tax Manthra includes, “no increase in tax but better compliance”, better compliance through un-assessed, under assessed / better collection / team work and convergence of property tax, trade licenses and advertisement tax.
Somesh Kumar said that an historical decision has been taken by the Standing Committee to incentivize the revenue staff basing on their performance. Briefing about the incentive structure the Commissioner said that for Deputy Municipal Commissioners, Valuation Officers, Tax Inspectors and Bill Collectors 2 months basic pay will be paid as incentive if they collect 50per cent more than last year’s collection, if 40per cent increase the incentive will be 1.5 month’s basic pay, if 30per cent increase one month’s basic pay and 20per cent increase over last year’s collection will get them 15 days basic pay as incentive. The Commissioner said that he has put his reputation on stake in getting this incentives sanctioned by the Standing Committee as a token of encouragement to the Revenue officials of the GHMC.
The Commissioner said that the revenue staff of GHMC is the “bread earners” of GHMC through which the salary to 7,000 employees, pension to 6,000 retired personal and wages for 25,000 outsourcing staff is paid, with which all developmental works of GHMC is undertaken and with which the expectations of 80 lakhs citizens of Hyderabad are met. The Commissioner further briefed about the goals for collection of taxes for the year 2013-14 and said that all together Rs. 1,250 crores is the target fixed for the financial year with an increase of 65per cent over than the last year’s collection, to collect arrears of Rs. 400 crores, to collect new / increase demand of Rs. 150 Crores and other current demand of Rs. 700 crores.
Somesh Kumar further said that the lack of convergence among the various revenue collection agencies in GHMC has resulted in some astonishing facts such as 22,220 trade licenses are in residential property tax net and 1,56,890 number of commercial property tax establishments are without trade licenses.
Navin Mittal, Special Commissioner, GHMC in his Power Point Presentation briefed about the various duties of revenue officials and focused on arrear collections i.e., issue of red notices to all the properties, chronic defaulters and more focus on those who pay in the month of March, attachment of top defaulters, disposal of court cases / revision petitions.
About 500 and odd Revenue officials of GHMC have met under one roof in the history of the Corporation due to the kind gesture of the Commissioner and exchanged their views, suggestions and problems etc., while performing their duties to collect the property tax, responding to their queries the Commissioner positively responded to them and directed the senior connected officials to sort out the issues represented by them on priority so they can collect the taxes as per the target assigned to them.
After the session the Commissioner directed all the Deputy Municipal Commissioners for group discussions among their revenue officials and to submit the targets of the property tax collection. Later on all the Valuation Officers of the Circles offices have submitted their targets to the Commissioner and represented their grievances facing while collecting the property tax for which the Commissioner had a patient hearing and assured them all possible help. (INN)