East Delhi residents will now have to pay property tax online

NEW DELHI: East Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to completely move to an online mode of property tax collection. A notification issued by the civic body states that property tax returns will now be accepted only through online mode. Filing of returns manually has been discontinued.

The order issued by the accessor and collector office states that the move is aimed at increasing transparency and efficiency. “In accordance with the guidelines of ease of doing business, it has been decided that property tax returns shall only be accepted by online mode from April 1, 2021.”

Delhi’s three municipal corporations have been moving their several services, including the property tax payment, to online mode in phases. Recently, South Delhi Municipal Corporation had uploaded all the old property tax returns records online. A new property tax portal was also developed last year, but taxpayers have been facing several glitches while using it.

Meanwhile, the corporations managed to increase their property tax collection in 2020-21 despite the Covid-19 pandemic. North corporation mayor Jai Prakash said that they collected about Rs 645 crore as against the preceding year’s collection of Rs 548 crore.

The number of taxpayers also increased by 5,000. A total of 4,23,000 people paid taxes last financial year. About 48,000 taxpayers have availed the benefit of our amnesty scheme, which was launched in January this year, said the mayor.

About Rs 230 crore has been collected in the scheme, while taxpayers, who availed its benefit, got relief of a total of around Rs 500 crore.