The cash registers have started ringing for the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) as its call for payment of property tax through the “early bird” scheme has evoked a positive response from citizens in the twin-city.
The civic administration had rolled out its much-awaited early bird incentive scheme which offers a five percent discount for those who opt for paying taxes before July 31. The tax department updated its system to incorporate the discount mechanism from June 3. If the taxpayers clear their dues and the current bill payments along with any arrears by the stated deadline of July 31, they will still be eligible for an instant tax rebate.
In the first ten days, the tax department has managed to mop up more than Rs. 9 crore through the early bird scheme. The total collection for the current fiscal (from 1st April 2022 onwards till date) stands at Rs. 11.17 crore.
“For the first time in the history of the civic body, such types of discounts have been offered to regular tax payers and we have received an encouraging response. More and more citizens should avail discounts,” said deputy civic chief Sanjay Shinde.
The civic administration has set a target of collecting Rs. 100 core under the early bird scheme which ends on July 31.
“It’s a welcome move for regular taxpayers. Earlier the administration gave huge rebates only to defaulters under the garb of amnesty schemes,” said Ganesh Shivmath, a resident of Bhayandar.
One of the major revenue generators for the MBMC, property tax collections amounting 280 crore has been projected for the current fiscal. However, the administration is skeptical about the projections estimated by the ruling governance and expects to collect not more than Rs. 200 crore.
Notably, there has been a surge in collections through digital modes of payments including links on the municipal website and mobile application facilitated by the civic administration. As per statistics, the assessed number of properties in the twin-city is currently pegged at around 3,68,501, including 63,498 commercial and 3,05,003 residential units.
