JMC tax collection trails in Jaipur

JAIPUR: With outstanding dues worth over Rs 435 crore from the property owners under the erstwhile house tax and existing urban development tax(UDT), and a depleted treasury, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation is brainstorming to find a viable solution to address the problem of tax collection.
Despite frantic appeals, and several sops to encourage tax collection, the civic body till date has been able to collect hardly over 1% of the total dues.The low tax recovery has taken a toll on civic services such as sanitation, hygiene and sewage treatment.
Meanwhile, to mop up the revenue collection, the civic administration has tied it with the zonal commissioner's confidential report(CRs). The officials have been directed to collect the target amount from people, or face punitive, which includes being relieved from the present job.
Chief executive officer RP Jain however, agreed that tightening the noose around the officials would not be enough to meet the target collection. He said drying up of funds would affect staff salaries, and basic civic services in the city. "We have to collect our dues any how," he insisted.
"People must understand if they do not pay, how we will be able to provide them the services they want? We do not have any source of income , even octroi has been withdrawn much before by the government, UDT is the only source of revenue for us," he said.
Meanwhile, the officials are even scared to go to people for dues collection, as incidents of mob attack have been reported in the past. Over the last two months, Rs 52 lakh have been collected, which is well behind the target.
The lack of strong political will to enforce a stringent rule for tax collection is another grey area. Even a waiver of interest rate of nearly 50 per cent has not motivated people to pay the tax. Many believe the rumours of a possible waiver on taxes accrued over a long time has also discouraged many to pay their dues.