• Tax-payers allotted unique Property Index Number on production of last year’s tax receipts
• MCC Commissioner writes to State Government seeking extension of 5 percent rebate till July end

Mysore/Mysuru: As a first step towards online tax payment, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has begun the process of collecting taxes through Property Index Number since May 1, 2020 and the response from people is encouraging.

The new system has been devised to collect taxes, an annual process that has been hampered by COVID-19 this year. There are over 1.85 lakh tax-payers within the MCC limits and the civic body has set a target of collecting Rs. 176 crore in 2020-2021.

Tax collection process usually starts every April and this year too, it was to begin in the first week of April for the taxation year 2020-2021. Thanks to lockdown, the MCC has now launched the process of tax collection at all its 9 Zonal Offices through Property Index Number.

Usually, the MCC announces a rebate of 5 percent for those who pay their annual taxes in full in the month of April. This year, due to unprecedented scenario and unforeseen circumstances, the MCC has extended the rebate till the end of May, with an aim to encourage residents to pay their taxes in one go. If the tax collection is not up to the mark even by May end, the civic body is contemplating to extend the 5 percent rebate till June end and the issue is being discussed in the MCC.

Sources in the Mysuru City Corporation said that MCC Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde has written to the State Government (Urban Development Department) seeking a nod to extend the 5 percent rebate till July end.

As the lockdown restrictions have been relaxed a bit now, all the nine Zonal Offices have kept their cash counters open in anticipation of citizens remitting their taxes. Officials said that the process to implement online payment of taxes has been set in motion and the software is being installed to make the process efficient and streamlined.

Property Index Number

Officials told ‘Star of Mysore’ that in three months, the online system will be in place and to implement the system, all properties in Mysuru have been mapped, measured, classified and physically verified in the past. These include vacant sites, houses, commercial properties, parks and open spaces, apartment complexes and housing groups. As the first step towards the online system, the process to collect taxes through Property Index Number has begun and officials said that the system has a good response from the tax-payers.

Unique identification number

Property Index Number is a unique identification number that has been created by mapping all properties within MCC limits, detailing properties and their location including the road and ward. The number will have details including site, house, commercial buildings, location and extent of the property, floor area ratio, type of accommodation and the tax amount.

Once the number is entered into a system, it will provide details like history of tax payments, area of site, built-up area and number of floors, among other things. The number will be permanent, regardless of change of property size, change in owner, ward boundary or any other numbering changes.

Officials said the new system will ensure the navigation details and address location services for dwellings or properties within the jurisdiction of MCC and also help see the spatial depiction of information related to land dimensions, property tax and fee collection management.

Will help track tax payment

Property Index Number will ensure that every property has a unique number associated with it and it will help track tax payment and thereby help MCC get the revenue due to it. The civic body has been grappling with revenue shortfall and this should give it a big boost, said officials.

“Each property owner or the property per se will have a Property Index Number. Tax-payers can produce the receipt of previous tax payments and an already-allotted Property Index Number will be given to them. When the number is entered in the system, all the property details including the tax due displays on the screen. It will be verified first at the cash counters and a print out will be given to the tax-payer and the tax due can be paid accordingly after checking the print out. This system has been implemented this year as a prelude to online tax payment. From next year, the system will go completely online where tax-payers can remit tax dues from the comfort of their homes,” officials said.

In MCC Zone 6, there are 16,000 commercial properties and a tax collection target of Rs. 39 crore has been set. “Within the 5 percent rebate period, we are expecting to collect Rs. 18 crore to Rs. 20 crore. For the first time, taxes are being collected through Property Index Number and from next year, it will be fully online,” said H. Nagaraju, Assistant Commissioner, MCC Zone 6.