NKDA to boost property tax reach out programme

Kolkata: The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has decided to strengthen its reach out programme for payment of property tax through Unit Area Assessment (UAA), which was introduced from April.

"We are undertaking a fresh drive to reach out to the residents throughout the month of May, informing citizens to cough up their taxes for the first quarter by June 2. We will be levying penalty in case someone does not pay up within the stipulated date," a senior NKDA official said.

It may be mentioned that there is a 5 percent rebate on timely payment of quarterly dues and 5 percent discount on yearly dues, if paid in the first quarter.

NKDA has had a good response to property tax under UAA, with more than 3,500 people filing self assessments online and almost 3,000 residents already paying their taxes.

"We have formed two teams comprising six members each, who will visit the housing complexes on weekends for making people aware of the procedure of assessment of property tax through UAA. The team will be informing the residents of the complexes well in advance before their visit, so that the residents are not inconvenienced by any means," the official said. NKDA has already prepared the calendar with the list of the housing complexes they will be visiting this month, to assist residents in paying property tax under UAA. The NKDA has also put up a list of 17 questions along with their answers on their website, to clear doubts regarding property tax.

A separate 'Corporate Corner' has been operational from the first week of April in a smart new office at Utility Building, to help and guide big tax-payers. A senior officer with a dedicated team is giving exclusive attention to help the corporate entities in New Town, to file their self-assessment online.

"The strategy is to mop up large collections quickly," the NKDA official said.

A large number of people are visiting the helpdesk at the new 5th floor Property Tax Office in Action Area 1 on a regular basis and their queries are being cleared.

More than 50 Tax Sathis are helping residents regar-

ding self-assessment and payment for the first quarter. Their services are available free of cost.