It is Easy to Pay Property Tax in Kolkata Now — Here’s How

65-year-old, Kaushik Banerji recalls the hassles he had to undergo while paying property tax in Kolkata by visiting a nearby bank for two of his family-owned properties — “The long, chaotic queue extended beyond the bank’s gate, and the sweltering heat that afternoon was unbearable.” “But the worst part was yet to come,” smirks the senior citizen. When Banerji reached the counter, the dealing clerk informed him that the bank can accept tax payment only for one property because of excessive pressure and a shortage of workforce.

IT professional, Rahul Sen shares a similar incident. Squeezing some time during the lunch hour, he visited an enlisted bank to pay the property tax for his flat, only to hear that the bank cannot facilitate the service due to a link failure.

An official had asked housewife Manjula Dutta to come on some other day, as the bank personnel having the ID to collect property tax payment was on leave.

Such horrific tales give nightmares to most property owners in Kolkata, but things are taking a turn for the better as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is now accepting e-payment of property taxes through their web portal.

The online facility is offering incredible convenience to property owners, enabling the payment of property tax in Kolkata with just a few clicks. Here are the steps for making online property tax payments.

First, log in to KMC’s official website — https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/HomeAction.do? — where you will come across all the facilities provided by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Next, on the right-hand side of the portal’s landing page, you will find a link to make online payments for various services, including property tax.

Those who have made online property tax payments before can retrieve their details from earlier transactions. But those who are using the portal for the first time will have to key in necessary information like the assessee number, email ID, and contact number in a supplementary link under the property tax section. When done, click on the ‘pay’ button.

The End of ‘Inspector Raj’ — Kolkata’s Property Owners Can Now Calculate Their Property Tax Themselves

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, on December 15, 2016, passed the (Amendment) Bill 2016, which makes property tax assessment and collection more simple, transparent, and hassle-free. The new bill empowers property owners to self-assess their property taxes. Here’s how you can calculate the property tax for residential property.

As per the (Amendment) Bill 2016, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, in March 2017, cleared the Unit Area Assessment (UAA) system for self-assessment of property taxes.

The new UAA system divides Kolkata into 293 blocks. 7 categories, such as A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, set the blocks apart on the basis of facilities, infrastructure, and the market value. Each category has an annual value per sq. ft. referred to as the Base Unit Area Value (BUAV). The ‘A’ group has the highest BUAV, and group ‘G’ the lowest. This ensures equal taxation for all properties under a particular category.

The UAA system also gives careful consideration to the idea of Multiplicative Factors (MFs), which accounts for differences in properties within the same class in terms of location, the purpose of use, the property age, nature of occupancy, and the type of construction.

Property owners, to self-assess the annual property tax under the UAA system, can use the following formula:

Annual tax = BUAV x Covered space/Land area x Location MF value x Usage MF value x Age MF value x Structure MF value x Occupancy MF value x Rate of tax (including HB tax)

Relevant notifications on MF and BUAV values are available in the ‘scheme’ section on KMC’s website.

One Thing to Remember

To enjoy paying property tax in Kolkata from the comfort of your home, make sure no outstanding amount is due against your account, and the system shows an updated record.