Guntur: In order to strengthen the financial base, Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) authorities have set their focus on bringing more households into the tax bracket.
Ward secretaries have been asked to identify unassessed properties to levy tax and also structures with under-assessment to revise the tax. GMC commissioner Puli Srinivasulu said that the existing revenues of the civic body might not suffice the needs of a growing city like Guntur, particularly when demands for new developmental works rise from the public and public representatives. He wanted the deputy commissioners of the GMC to scout for innovative methods to improve revenues.
The commissioner found that many residential and commercial buildings were left without imposing property taxes during his field visit and constituted special teams to immediately complete the tax assessment process. He wanted ward administrative secretaries, along with the staffers of the revenue wing, to make field visits and submit a comprehensive report on the unassessed and underassessed buildings within a fortnight.
Initially, officials would identify all the unassessed buildings and bring them into the tax bracket. Keeping in view the massive level of construction activity in the city, the field officials have decided to impose property tax on all the new and upcoming buildings without any delay. Earlier, the building owner had to file an application in the local ward secretariat seeking imposition of property tax. The officials from the revenue wing would take at least 6 months to make the field visit and complete the tax assessment. The property owners were also made to pay out huge sum as bribe to complete the tax assessment. The officials would charge heavily promising to reduce the property tax.
Taking all such practices into consideration, commissioner Srinivasulu warned of placing the revenue staffers under suspension if any delay takes place in completion of the tax assessment. He also wanted the officials to identify buildings which were paying less tax than the actual amount. “I strongly believe that GMC is losing heavily due to underassessment of the property tax in the past. We will scrutinize the structures randomly and identify structures with less tax. We will not hesitate to revise the tax immediately,” said Srinivasulu. He said that they would go by the approved building plan to make an assessment of the total plinth area of the structure and go for levying realistic tax.
Ward secretaries have been asked to identify unassessed properties to levy tax and also structures with under-assessment to revise the tax. GMC commissioner Puli Srinivasulu said that the existing revenues of the civic body might not suffice the needs of a growing city like Guntur, particularly when demands for new developmental works rise from the public and public representatives. He wanted the deputy commissioners of the GMC to scout for innovative methods to improve revenues.
The commissioner found that many residential and commercial buildings were left without imposing property taxes during his field visit and constituted special teams to immediately complete the tax assessment process. He wanted ward administrative secretaries, along with the staffers of the revenue wing, to make field visits and submit a comprehensive report on the unassessed and underassessed buildings within a fortnight.
Initially, officials would identify all the unassessed buildings and bring them into the tax bracket. Keeping in view the massive level of construction activity in the city, the field officials have decided to impose property tax on all the new and upcoming buildings without any delay. Earlier, the building owner had to file an application in the local ward secretariat seeking imposition of property tax. The officials from the revenue wing would take at least 6 months to make the field visit and complete the tax assessment. The property owners were also made to pay out huge sum as bribe to complete the tax assessment. The officials would charge heavily promising to reduce the property tax.
Taking all such practices into consideration, commissioner Srinivasulu warned of placing the revenue staffers under suspension if any delay takes place in completion of the tax assessment. He also wanted the officials to identify buildings which were paying less tax than the actual amount. “I strongly believe that GMC is losing heavily due to underassessment of the property tax in the past. We will scrutinize the structures randomly and identify structures with less tax. We will not hesitate to revise the tax immediately,” said Srinivasulu. He said that they would go by the approved building plan to make an assessment of the total plinth area of the structure and go for levying realistic tax.
