Corpn’s tax kitty swells to highest-ever Rs 2,044 cr

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has collected Rs 2,044 crore in tax revenue, its highest ever, for the financial year 2022-2023. To beef it up further, the civic body will be preparing Geographic Information System (GIS) maps for all the properties across the city in the current financial year.

As per 2022-23 tax collection figures revealed by the GCC, Rs 2,044.6 crore has been collected as property and professional tax. The local body had fixed a Rs 1,500 crore target for property tax, whereas Rs 1,522.86 crore was collected from the owners. On March 31 alone, more than Rs 50 crore in tax was collected from the property owners.

The Corporation, which had fixed a target of Rs 500 crore for professional tax, was able to collect Rs 521.74 crore in 2022-23. In 2021-2022, Rs 1,240.42 crore tax was collected in the city, of which Rs 778.07 crore was property tax and Rs 462.35 crore professional tax.

In 2020-2021, the civic body collected only Rs 959.34 crore, of which Rs 471.66 crore was property tax. The city corporation mentioned that the previous highest property tax collection was in the 2018-2019 fiscal at Rs 979 crore.

The highest collection was from Teynampet (zone 9); Rs 305 crore from property owners and Rs 106.21 crore in professional tax.

“We have recorded the highest collection in the last fiscal. However, we still have at least 100 defaulters for property tax. Recently, a resolution passed in the council meeting mentioned that the property owners with tax dues can clear the same with a concession from the GCC. Those who have dues of over five years will get a 20 per cent discount. It can be negotiated across the table, and the resolution has been submitted to the government,” said Sukumar Chitti Babu, city revenue officer, Revenue department, GCC.

According to the Chennai Corporation Municipal Act, 1919, property owners have to pay the tax within the first 15 days at the beginning of every half-year. An incentive of 5 per cent (up to a maximum of Rs 5,000) is being given to property owners who make such payments. Property owners who make late payments will have to pay an additional 2 per cent special interest on top of their dues.

“Previously, the tax collection in the city was liberal, whereas now we are getting stricter. We have fixed a target for the tax to be collected from individuals. Defaulters of property tax for over 5 to 10 years will be named on the Corporation’s official website,” said Sarbajaya Das, chairman of the standing committee, Taxation & Finance.

She added, “We are going to have GIS map for all the properties in the city. We will come up with the list of properties which are underestimated or overestimated.”