KMC witnesses Rs 16 crore jump in property tax collection

Kolkata: The property tax collection of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) saw a spurt of Rs 16 crore in comparison to the corresponding period last year, propelled by a healthy collection from the added areas of the city.

Last year, the property tax collection during this time was Rs 1019 crore which is Rs 1,035 crore this year (upto January 13). The Garden Reach Unit (GRU) of KMC has witnessed over 35 per cent rise in property tax collection till date in comparison to the corresponding period last year. The steep increase assumes significance in the backdrop of an under construction building collapse in Azhar Mollah Bagan in Garden Reach on March 17 that snuffed out the lives of more than a dozen people.

KMC sources said tax collection from GRU till date has been Rs 10.5 crore, much higher than the collection of Rs 7.7 crore during the corresponding period last year. Wards 133 to 141 of KMC comes within the jurisdiction of GRU.

A major contributor to the increase in tax collection in the GRU has been a payment of Rs 3 crore by Garden Reach Shipbuilders in this financial year.

The South Suburban Unit (SSU) that involves Behala area showed a positive 12 per cent increase in tax collection against the corresponding period in 2023-24 fiscal. The collection which was Rs 50.7 crore last year has risen to Rs 56.63 crore.

Tax collection from Joka unit has been Rs 37.58 crore up from Rs 32.7 crore. The North Unit also witnessed a positive growth of 8.62 per cent in comparison to the corresponding period last year. However, the south unit and Tolly Tax unit saw a negative growth of 3 and 6 per cent respectively.

Borough 12 has 4.5 per cent negative growth.

“We have laid special emphasis on pending property tax collection. At the same time, we are seeing to it that whether any commercial unit has remained unassessed or has evaded tax even after assessment to improve our tax collection with two-and-a-half months remaining for the conclusion of the 2024-25 fiscal,” said a senior KMC official.