VISAKHAPATNAM: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has set a record in property tax collections, exceeding ₹510 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26, a full eight days before the accounts close. This outstrips last year’s collection of ₹500 crore, with officials optimistic about reaching ₹600 crore by March 31, thanks to a 50% interest waiver on outstanding dues provided by the state government.
Of an additional ₹80 crore in demand, ₹50 crore has already been collected this year. Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) S Srinivasa Rao mentioned that the waiver will lessen the burden on taxpayers and enhance collections. “We expect to garner nearly ₹100 crore next week, which will help us surpass ₹600 crore for the first time in GVMC’s history,” he stated.
“We also anticipate significant recoveries from private entities. Our recent focus has been on vacant land tax (VLT) and outstanding dues. A major industry recently settled ₹23 crore in revised taxes, while ₹15 crore came from new VLTs. Additionally, a private infrastructure company cleared ₹10 crore, a demand we raised this year,” Rao explained.
The 50% interest waiver applies to pending property tax arrears, including both building/house tax and VLT dues. To support this initiative, payment counters are active from 8 AM to 8 PM, including Sundays and public holidays, until March 31.
The focused collection efforts commenced in April 2025, featuring monthly review meetings and an early-bird rebate scheme that netted ₹162 crore in April alone. Steady revenue flows followed, leading to ₹410 crore by December.
“Administrative secretaries were instructed to personally serve arrear notices for both old dues and current arrears, which yielded positive outcomes, persuading many assessors to clear their dues. GVMC has also strengthened its staff to improve efficiency,” Rao added.
By increasing the number of inspectors from 17 to 45, supervision across six lakh assessments improved. The personal outreach by administrative secretaries helped prompt many assessors to settle their arrears, while further reinforcements at the revenue officer level streamlined the collection process. These strategies have allowed GVMC to exceed last year’s figures well ahead of schedule, with the final thrust expected to push collections beyond ₹600 crore.
