VMC hits historic high, revenue soars 404 crore in three years

Varanasi: The Varanasi Municipal Corporation has smashed its revenue collection record, with figures soaring from Rs 94 crore in 2022-23 to a whopping Rs 404 crore in 2025-26 — almost four times the revenue in just three years, marking a historic milestone for the corporation.Municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said that a target of Rs 225 crore was set for property tax collection in 2025-26, against which Rs 267.55 crore has been collected. Since 2010, house tax rates have not been increased by even one rupee. This time, the corporation also waived the Rs 76 crore surcharge on water tax and sewer tax. Besides, there is no major industrial unit within the urban limits. Despite this, the corporation's revenue has increased by nearly four times in just three years.Income from property tax has increased nearly three times. The number of building owners paying house tax has also surged from 1.22 crore in 2023 to 1.82 crore. The last day of the financial year 2025-26 saw a record 7,000 building owners depositing Rs 27 crore in tax. Of these, 1,229 people deposited Rs 1.55 crore online. Thus, the biggest hero of this transformation has been the Digital India campaign. VMC has become the first municipal corporation in the state to implement an integrated billing system for house, water and sewer taxes. He mentioned that building owners who missed the March 31 tax deadline will find their previous dues, along with interest, added to their 2026-27 bill. Additionally, a 50% late fee has been slapped on non-tax items like shop rent and licence fees.VMS has not only boosted its property tax collection but also streamlined income from other sources like advertisement, parking, shop rent, and road cutting. The significant jump in ad revenue and licence fees suggests a thriving commercial scene in the city.Apart from property tax, Rs 15.22 crore has been collected from road cutting, Rs 12.18 crore from advertisements and Rs 5.57 crore from shop rent.