Mysore/Mysuru: Normally, people pay property tax at the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Main and Zonal Offices or at a designated bank branch but the COVID-19 pandemic has put paid to this method for many, forcing them to opt for online payment. 

Notably, this online system has proved immensely beneficial for the MCC during the last financial year as it has collected the highest tax so far from 2016-17 financial year. The civic body has filled Rs. 141.11 crore to its coffers as against a target of Rs. 205.05 crore. [see table for comparison from 2016 to 2022].

Along with the online system, the existing offline system too was put in place where MCC teams visited house-to-house collecting taxes. As both online and offline methods were extensively used, the perpetually cash-strapped MCC could mop up revenues to this scale.

Property tax or house tax is collected from the owners by the local Municipal authority and this is the main source of revenue for the MCC to provide basic amenities, healthcare and education within the city limits.

Ever since the online tax collecting system was introduced, it was full of glitches, server crashing and non-responsive website being the major issues. But over the years, the MCC seems to have overcome online issues and the results are there now for everyone to see. Due to the streamlined online system, residents can now pay the taxes from the comforts of their homes.

The COVID pandemic came in 2020 and it affected tax collection that year and it was predicted that 2021-2022 too will be a bleak year. Added to the woes were repeated lockdowns, weekend curfews and night curfews. MCC officers told Star of Mysore that despite many difficulties and restrictions, Mysureans have been prompt in paying property tax.

In the city, there are 32,311 sites, 1,58,350 residential properties and 7,288 commercial properties. A target of Rs. 205.05 crore was fixed and till Feb. 7, 2022, Rs. 141.11 crore has been collected. There are a total of 1,97,949 properties in the MCC limits and till March end, a total target of Rs. 170 crore has been fixed to fill the gaps, said officers.

Along with the online tax system where there was good response from people, concerted efforts from all MCC Zonal Officers, Revenue Officers, Revenue Inspectors and staff have paid off. They visited houses in all the 9 MCC Zones creating awareness on the tax payment and also knocked at the doors of people who had not paid tax for years together.

This apart, the MCC teams have also started efficiently collecting water tax, trade licence renewal fee, advertisement revenue and also rent from businesses operating from its buildings. All these measures have enabled the civic body to increase revenues.

Online tax brings windfall to civic body which has set a target to collect Rs. 205.05 crore

Financial year	Tax collected
2016-17	95.85 cr.
2017-18	116.24 cr.
2018-19	125.38 cr.
2019-20	126.29 cr.
2020-21	120.17 cr.
2021-2022	141.11 cr.

‘Online-offline systems helped’

MCC Revenue Division Officers have struggled hard and they have done extensive campaigns for property tax collection and also to collect pending dues. Plus, the online tax system proved beneficial as people could pay up sitting at homes and not venturing out during pandemic time. The MCC has only one major revenue source, that is property tax. If we continue the same trend, we can reach 100 percent tax collection soon.” — G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, Commissioner, Mysuru City Corporation

‘Concerted efforts paid off’

MCC Commissioner used to conduct review meetings at frequent intervals and give suggestions on tax collection. This has helped and officers and staff of all the nine Zones have left no stone unturned to achieve this target. Even we convinced people who had a large property tax backlog to pay up. All these efforts paid off.” — N.M. Shashikumar, Deputy Commissioner (Revenue), Mysuru City Corporation