Dharwad’s Drive to Recover ₹74.6 Crore in Property Tax

Recovering property tax has always been a challenge for local bodies, particularly in gram panchayat (GP) limits, where residents often delay payments until required for official documentation. To tackle this, the Dharwad Zilla Panchayat has launched a ‘Property Tax Collection Fortnight’ from January 20 to February 3 across its 146 gram panchayats.

GP members, Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs), and staff are conducting door-to-door visits to persuade defaulters, some of whom haven’t paid tax for the past three years. Out of 2.9 lakh properties (including 2.3 lakh houses), around 1.4 lakh owners remain tax defaulters. The list also includes religious centers, commercial properties, government buildings, and open sites.

The pending tax amount stands at ₹74.6 crore, with ₹26.1 crore due for 2024-25 and ₹48.5 crore in arrears. From March to December 2024, only ₹3 crore was collected. However, the special drive launched on January 20 has already yielded ₹84.5 lakh as of January 29. The goal is to collect ₹6 crore by February 3.

Officials have introduced POS machines for easier transactions and instant receipts. Dharwad, currently ranked 19th in property tax collection in Karnataka, aims to improve its standing through these intensified efforts.

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