GVMC bags state award for tax collection

Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has received a state-level award and a certificate of appreciation for its strong performance in property tax collection during the 2025–26 financial year. The award was presented at a state-level commissioners' workshop on the Solid Waste Management Rules–2026, held in Vijayawada on Thursday. MA&UD principal secretary S Suresh Kumar and commissioner and director of municipal administration Dr P Sampath Kumar conferred the award on GVMC commissioner Ketan Garg, who received it along with deputy commissioner (revenue) S Srinivasa Rao. Garg said the achievement was possible due to the support of property taxpayers, house owners and citizens of Visakhapatnam. "This success is the result of teamwork by the revenue department and field staff, under the guidance of additional commissioner D V Ramanamurthy and the supervision of deputy commissioner (Revenue) S Srinivasa Rao," the commissioner said. In the 2025–26 financial year, GVMC recorded a significant improvement in property tax collections. Against a target increase of about Rs 90 crore, it collected an additional Rs 60 crore. Total collections rose from Rs 510 crore in the previous year to Rs 620 crore this year, registering a growth of 21.5%.