KMC waiver scheme: So far 7K applications received in Jan

Kolkata: The Assessment department of Kolkata Municipal Corporation is optimistic of mopping up a good revenue with more than 7,000 applications received, so far in January, for availing facilities of waiver scheme after it was extended till January 31, 2021. Municipal Commissioner Binod Kumar chaired a meeting with concerned officials to take stock of the assessment collection on Monday.

The waiver scheme that was initiated from October 3 last year was supposed to end on December 31. However, the extension of the waiver scheme was undertaken after it was found that the civic body had received much less applications than desired for availing benefits of the scheme. "The collection that was around Rs 100 crore till December have already gone up to Rs 143 crores. About 50,000 applications were received till December which has increased by more than 7,000. Persons who will be applying for the waiver scheme till January will get complete waiver on penalty and interest till February 28, 2021 and the defaulter has to pay only the principal amount. The persons who have received their bill by March in the last financial year ending March 31, 2020 will be entitled to derive benefit of the waiver scheme

Since the middle of December KMC has laid emphasis on door to door campaign to mop up its property tax collection which has not picked up its desired pace even after the introduction of waiver scheme on October 3.

There are 5 lakh odd tax payers among which 400 are major defaulters against whom the civic body owed Rs 1,500 crore before the introduction of waiver. The tax collection had nosedived drastically during the lockdown period particularly from March to May 2020.