Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Achieves Record Property Tax Collections
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has achieved a significant milestone in property tax collections, crossing the ₹510 crore mark for the 2025–26 fiscal year. This accomplishment comes eight days before the official close of accounts, demonstrating remarkable efficiency in revenue generation.
Surpassing Previous Records with Strategic Initiatives
This year's collection of over ₹510 crore surpasses last year's tally of ₹500 crore, with municipal officials expressing confidence in reaching the ₹600 crore threshold by March 31. The achievement has been significantly aided by the state government's implementation of a 50% interest waiver on pending property tax dues, a measure designed to ease the financial burden on taxpayers while simultaneously boosting municipal revenue.
Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) S Srinivasa Rao provided insights into the collection strategy, noting, "We expect nearly ₹100 crore in the next week, which will help us cross the ₹600 crore mark for the first time in GVMC history." Out of an additional demand of ₹80 crore identified this fiscal year, GVMC has already realized ₹50 crore, indicating strong compliance and collection efficiency.
Focused Efforts on Vacant Land Tax and Arrears Recovery
The municipal corporation has implemented targeted approaches to maximize revenue, with particular emphasis on vacant land tax (VLT) and outstanding arrears. These efforts have yielded substantial returns, including a significant payment of ₹23 crore in revised taxes from a major industrial entity. Additionally, new VLT assessments contributed ₹15 crore to the collections, while a private infrastructure company cleared ₹10 crore in tax demands raised this year.
The 50% interest waiver applies comprehensively to all pending property tax arrears, encompassing both building/house tax and vacant land tax dues. To facilitate taxpayer compliance, GVMC has extended operational hours for payment counters, maintaining service from 8 am to 8 pm daily, including Sundays and public holidays until March 31.
Proactive Collection Strategy Yields Early Results
GVMC's focused collection efforts commenced as early as April 2025, featuring monthly review meetings and an early-bird rebate scheme that generated ₹162 crore in April alone. This proactive approach established a steady revenue stream, enabling the corporation to reach ₹410 crore by December—well ahead of schedule.
Administrative secretaries were directed to personally serve arrear notices covering both historical dues and current arrears, a strategy that produced positive outcomes with numerous assessees clearing their pending obligations. To enhance operational efficiency, GVMC substantially strengthened its manpower resources, increasing the number of inspectors from 17 to 45. This expansion improved supervision across approximately six lakh assessments and reinforced capabilities at the revenue officer level, streamlining the entire collection process.
These comprehensive measures have positioned GVMC to not only surpass last year's collection figures ahead of schedule but also to make a final push toward the unprecedented ₹600 crore milestone, marking a historic achievement in municipal revenue generation for Visakhapatnam.
