Raipur: Again, to increase revenue, the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) has made the decision to impose tax on the vacant plots that are diverted both within the city and in the outer wards. This is a step taken after the Corporation failed to raise revenue through a user charge increase in a significant measure. This decision was made at a revenue training camp which was conducted on June 13, and participated in by Mayor Meenal Chaube, Council President Suryakant Rathore, and Commissioner Vishwadeep.
Throughout the meeting, the Mayor made it clear that the Corporation urgently needed to find other sources of revenue and to take action on these sources. The company did not achieve a revenue of 300 crore by the end of the annual financial year in March. Nevertheless, after a tolling of another tax deadline till April on account of the state concentrating on assembly and local elections, the revenue finally went over the 300 crores mark. However, there are still unpaid taxes in 70,000 of the 3.25 lakh taxable properties.
Of these, some 20,000 properties are under central/state government departments or religious institutions, and these just have to pay water tax. This leaves 50,000 properties, of which many are empty open plots, as possible sources of additional taxes collected. These are, for the first time, being educated by the Revenue Department on how to get these into the tax net, using educated assessment arms and collection arms.
Revenue Deputy Commissioner Dr. Anjali Sharma has asserted that the staff of the organization requires frequent upgrades and skills development. They are now aiming at adopting a taxation system where the diversion date of the land and not the registration date will be put in place because the value of the land usually rises after the time it has been diverted.
The Corporation has started a two-month survey and is likely to make at least 50 crores as new revenue. Even agricultural lands having warehouses or car parking lots will now be put to tax unless active farming is in progress.
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