Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation taxpayers who do not have last year receipts might have a tough time while paying taxes as the civic body portal doesn’t have all the previous records. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration had come up with its own portal for tax collection this year for the good, however, little it had known that this changeover would create a lot of hassles for the taxpayers.
Till last year, the BMC was using the e-Nagar Palika Portal of the state government which was a common portal for all the civic bodies of the state. Now BMC has its own portal ‘Bhopal Municipal Corporation’.
While coming up with a new portal, the BMC administration could not get all the previous records of the payment status of the taxpayers. Thus the BMC’s new portal doesn’t have all updated records and in the absence of it the bills being issued to the residents are faulty.
The civic body is not in position to inform the taxpayers about their pending dues before issuing the final bill. Now, if the taxpayers do not have receipt of the payment they made last year, it would be difficult for them to prove that they do not have any dues. With no previous record, the civic body will then have no option but to issue current bills as per the data they have.
According to BMC officials, the company which was handling the e-Nagar Palika portal did not transfer all data to BMC administration. SO with no data in hand, the civic body administration is asking the taxpayers to bring with them receipt of last year to show that there are no dues pending. Once taxpayers show the receipt, BMC scans the receipt and sends it for verification before issuing the final bills to the taxpayers. The entire procedure is very complex but it has become an everyday scene at the ward offices.
“Six months ago, BMC switched over to its own tax portal. Earlier, it was e-Nagar Palika Portal which was a collective portal for all civic bodies in the state. Rather than making things easy for the taxpayers, by switching over to its own tax portal, the BMC is creating a lot of problems for the residents.” Kishan Suryavanshi, chairman BMC
