Ahmedabad collects Rs 834.8 crore in property tax under advance rebate scheme

Ahmedabad, June 1 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has collected Rs 834.80 crore in property tax under its Advance Property Tax Rebate Scheme, which was in effect from April 8 to May 31.

A total of 5.98 lakh taxpayers availed themselves of the scheme, with over four lakh making payments online. As part of the scheme, citizens paying their property tax in advance were offered a rebate of 12 to 15 per cent. Online payments alone contributed Rs 519.26 crore, reflecting a growing shift toward digital transactions.

Zone-wise, the western zone topped the list with collections of Rs 218.55 crore, followed by the north-western zone with Rs 190.35 crore. The south-western zone contributed Rs 123.76 crore, and the central zone added Rs 112.18 crore to the AMC's coffers.

Other contributions included Rs 67.62 crore from the east zone, Rs 62.04 crore from the north zone, and Rs 60.28 crore from the south zone. In addition to property tax, AMC collected Rs 44.89 crore in profession tax and Rs 32.91 crore in vehicle tax, bringing the total revenue from all taxes to Rs 924.78 crore.

In previous years, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has seen a steady rise in property tax collections under the Advance Property Tax Rebate Scheme. In 2023, the AMC collected approximately Rs 775 crore, with around 5.5 lakh taxpayers participating in the scheme, including 3.7 lakh online payments. The trend has shown consistent growth -- in 2022, the revenue stood at around Rs 700 crore, and in 2021, during the peak of the pandemic, the figure was around Rs 650 crore, as digital payment adoption surged.

Zone-wise collections have typically followed a similar pattern over the years, with the western and north-western zones contributing the highest shares due to higher property values and tax compliance rates in those areas.

The rebate offered has generally ranged between 10 per cent to 15 per cent, incentivising early payments. Alongside property tax, the profession tax and vehicle tax collections have also increased incrementally, contributing to the AMC’s growing annual revenue from direct taxation.

--IANS

janvi/dpb