Tax system overhaul: KMC proposes to cut down occupancy charge for tenants

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is proposing to bring down occupancy charge for the tenants as part of overhaul of the Unit Area Assessment (UAA) system of paying property tax. KMC has recently reconstituted the Scheme Review Committee which will soon hold a meeting with the objective of bringing more and more people under the ambit of UAA.

The number of tax payers as per records of KMC's Assessment department is over 8 lakh, out of which only 20 per cent are paying their tax through UAA."We have already prepared a draft of the UAA form by simplifying the complexities involved. It will be put before the review committee during the meeting. Once it gets approved, it will be sent to the state government for its necessary nod," a senior official of KMC's Assessment department said. Credai Bengal, an advocacy group for real estate developers in the state, has provided suggestions about simplification of UAA and the KMC has also taken into consideration the pattern followed by other metro cities in mopping up assessment tax. "Our target is to bring all tax payers under UAA and we are going for a complete overhaul of the system for the same," the official added. The tax collection till date has gone upto Rs 330 crore which was Rs 250 crore last year during this time.The KMC has already organised self assessment camps particularly in the housing complexes in the city for boosting its assessment collection. KMC Commissioner Binod Kumar has recently directed the concerned officials involved in property tax collection to go door-to-door for mopping up the pending property tax. Officials in the rank of Assessor and Chief Manager have been asked to be more active for realization of outstanding tax. Rs 3500 crore taxes are due and the Commissioner has reiterated that additional efforts are required for recovering this property tax for the sake of revenue mobilisation.