Corruption looms in property tax wing

■ Tax collectors cash in on dysfunctional self-assesment facility

The online self-assessment facility for property tax has been dysfunctional since one month on the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s official website. This has resulted in rampant corruption in the field. Bill collectors have enhanced the bribes they extort, from `3,000 to `5,000.

In February 2017, the corporation allowed selfassessment of property tax as there were increasing complaints from citizens about delays in getting their properties, residential and commercial, assessed for tax though they were coming forward voluntarily for the same.

It has also come to the notice of the corporation that despite keeping the counters and help desks open during weekends, citizens were being confronted with either non-cooperation of the staff concerned or had to pay a bribe to get the work done.

With most of the staff out for collections, citizens have been unable to meet tax inspectors for a fresh assessment or for issues like higher rate being levied on their properties.

To circumvent these issues, the corporation had urged citizens to submit their applications directly online for assessments through the website www.ghmc.gov.in.

Physical inspection has not been totally dispensed with. In fact, the precise property tax rate of the building is to be determined by the tax official only, even if the owner can check the approximate fee to be paid when he enters property details online.

To know the likely property tax, registering the mobile number is a must on the website so that a one-time password can be generated through the registered mobile number. Once the password is typed in, the application will be displayed. Ownership and property details should then be entered. Building permission numbers and deviations if any should also be mentioned when the approximate property tax to be paid along with information about the unit rates, zone and sub-zone will also be displayed.

Highly placed sources in the corporation said that the tax collectors at the ground-level have increased their charges from `3,000 to `5,000 with the absence of the online facility since they cannot cross verify with the assessment given by the staff during physical inspection.

Sources claim that the technical staff has deliberately made the self-assessment option dysfunctional. They said that the ground level staff has demanded whopping amounts from residents since a month and at times without providing a receipt.

When queried about this, a senior GHMC official said that the issue has come to their notice and would be resolved at the earliest. Commenting on the corruption at the ground level, the official said that lack of co-ordination between several departments has led to several discrepancies and irked citizens. “Major reforms will be taken up immediately after the polls to enhance transparency in property tax collection. The corporation will have a master database to cross-verify all the assessments in the GHMC’s jurisdiction,” he added.

■ HIGHLY-PLACED sources in the corporation said that the tax collectors at the ground-level have increased their charges from `3,000 to `5,000 with the absence of the online facility since they cannot cross verify with the assessment given by the staff during physical inspection.

■ LACK OF CO-ORDINATION between several departments has led to several discrepancies and irked citizens, says a GHMC senior official.