The Nashik Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) property tax collection from online payments has increased five-fold — from 7% before Covid pandemic to 36% during the last financial year — as the number of people opting for online services has gone up drastically.
According to an NMC official, during the financial year 2019-20, the civic body had collected property tax amounting to Rs 141 crore, out of which collection through online payment was only Rs 10 crore.
The first Covid patient in the city was reported on April 6 and cases started increasing thereafter. Due to this people started using online portal for paying property tax during the pandemic.
In 2020-21, the NMC collected Rs 120 crore towards property tax, out of which Rs 30 crore were paid online. During the last financial year, the NMC introduced a 5% rebate in property tax to taxpayers who pay make the annual payment in one go. The civic body later extended the scheme till May 31.
The rebate was reduced to 3% and 2% for those clearing their annual dues by June 30 and July 31 respectively. As a result, the NMC had earned a revenue of Rs 149 crore through property tax for the financial year 2021-22 — highest collection since the establishment of the municipal corporation body.
Out of the total amount collected by the civic body, Rs 55 crore were made online. An NMC official said the response for online payment is increasing every year.
“We are yet to start distributing physical property tax bills. But the bills are available online on the civic body’s website and we had appealed to the property tax payers to make the most of the 5% rebate scheme. Also, an additional 1% concession was given to the taxpayers making the payment online,” the official said.
“Interestingly, we could collect property tax worth Rs 26 crore in the month of April, which was the highest monthly property tax collection in that month till date,” the official added.