Telangana: ‘Early Bird’ scheme propels tax collection

State govt had extended the scheme till May 31 considering pandemic situation

Hyderabad: Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing lockdown in Telangana State, property tax collections under the Early Bird scheme have been encouraging with Rs 101 crore collected till first week in 129 municipalities and 12 Municipal Corporations (excluding GHMC) in the State.

The Early Bird scheme, which offers five per cent rebate on property tax to structure owners, was to end on April 30. But considering the pandemic, the State government extended the scheme till May 31 for the convenience of structure owners.

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About 14.08 lakh structure owners are eligible for availing the five per cent rebate under the scheme, of which, about 2.29 lakh structure owners have availed the benefit and paid Rs 101.98 crore tax till May 14. This works out to nearly 22 per cent structure owners utilising the opportunity of availing the rebate under the scheme.

With 15 days left for the scheme to be closed, directions have been issued to municipalities and Municipal Corporations to create awareness among structure owners to utilise the opportunity and avail rebate.

Among the municipalities and municipal corporations in the State, Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation recorded the highest property tax collection of Rs 12.16 crore with 28,767 structure owners paying the tax under the scheme. Nizampet Municipal Corporation collected Rs 6.84 crore and Karimnagar Municipal Corporation collected Rs 4.92 crore.

Streamlined payment

For the convenience of structure owners, the Municipal Administration department is issuing QR code-based demand notices. As part of this service, structure owners have to scan the QR Code through their mobiles and immediately, the tax amount is flashed on their mobile screens. The tax amount can be paid through debit or credit cards online.

Another important initiative is Chatbot service, which was launched as a dedicated WhatsApp channel to ease the process of tax payment for citizens across the State. This service is free-to-use and will also function as a source for up-to-date information on tax dues.

Citizens can send a ‘Hi’ message to CDMA, Telangana’s official WhatsApp account on 90002 53342, to easily access these services and pay their taxes conveniently using a debit card, credit card or internet banking or UPI payments. The Chatbot is currently available in English and Telugu.

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