Karimnagar Municipal Corp logs record tax collection

Karimnagar: The Municipal Corporation collected more than Rs 42 crore in taxes in the financial year 2023-2024.

There are more than one lakh assessments (including merged villages and the municipality) in the Karimna-gar Municipal Corporation. The total demand for the last financial year 2024-2025 was more than Rs 52.65 crore. Of which, more than Rs 42 crore has been col-lected till 9 pm on March 31, the official said.

Out of Rs 17 crore arrears, Rs 10 crore was collected. In a single day in the last week of March, the officials collected almost Rs 2 crore in taxes. The Commissioner Chahat Bajpai targeted those who had not paid taxes on time by conducting a special drive for the last 30 days.

It became a matter of discussion that the municipal of-ficials were issuing advance notices to those who did not pay taxes and locking and seizing the properties if they did not respond. As part of this, Rs 87 lakhs were pending in 36 assessments in the Revenue Gardens and Club Varidhi in the Karimnagar, and some amount was paid by them.

Karimnagar Dairy had due of Rs 38 lakh and they were made to pay the entire amount. Venkatasai Theater would have seized if it had not paied Rs 19 lakh. In this way, 150 municipal staff worked at the field level to collect the outstanding dues that had been pending for a long time.

It can be said that Municipal Commissioner Chahat Bajpai has written a new chapter in the recovering the pending house taxes, office works and other taxes in the last few years. Notices had been given to the Central and State government (720 assessments) offices in the district headquarters and the pending taxes had been re-covered from them.

Bajpai said that the tax collection process will continue. In the 2025-2026 financial year there will be a 5 percent tax subsidy through the Early Bird Scheme in the month of April. This financial year, 81 percent more taxes have been collected than required to receive the 15th Finance Commission funds.