Corporation to fatten tax kitty

KOCHI: The Corporation will soon formulate a project to intensify tax collection. The state government has come up with an offer to increase the development fund for the Corporation by 10 per cent if the civic body increases its income at least by 10 per cent, The government has directed the Corporation to formulate projects for intensifying collection of different taxes.“We have started preparing a project to intensify tax collection,” tax appeal standing committee chairperson Ratnamma Raju said.The government’s offer for 10 percent increase in development fund is recommended by the fourth Finance Commission.The Local Self Government Department has issued an order in this regard, Ratnamma Raju said.She said the Corporation had already plans to increase income through different taxes.“The land tax has been revised this year.The Corporation is collecting a revised land tax.We had been collecting land lax on the basis of rules framed 17 years ago.An additional income of `15 crore by way of land tax is expected this fiscal.As part of the efforts, the Corporation has started procedures of numbering houses under the city limits,” Ratnamma said.Deputy Mayor B Bhadra, in her budget speech, had said the Corporation was eyeing an additional income of `2 crore through professional tax collection.There are also plans to restructure the building tax to earn `35 crore, she said.The project has to be submitted to the government by November 30.