The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has collected ?910 crore in property tax during the first half of the 2025–26 financial year, against its target of ?1,100 crore for the April to September period. Officials said they are stepping up collection efforts to meet the goal before the September 30 deadline. To improve compliance, the Corporation has rolled out a range of online and offline payment options and is sending regular reminders to defaulters. While special tax collection camps were held in previous years, they were skipped this year as more taxpayers have shifted to online payment methods. Officials credit the rise in collections to digital initiatives such as reminders via WhatsApp, complete with QR codes for instant payments. “We are confident of meeting the target within the next two days. Revenue officials are also preparing a list of defaulters from both the last financial year and the current period, and follow-ups will be done zone-wise,” said K Magesh, City Revenue Officer. In addition to WhatsApp messages, GCC has also been using pamphlets and newspaper advertisements to remind property owners to pay on time and avoid penalties. GCC has also collected ?143 crore in professional tax so far. To further enhance tax collection, the QR code payment option has recently been extended to commercial tax. A common QR code has been displayed in shopping complexes, while individual commercial units have been given separate codes. This system reduces the need for direct interaction and enables faster, more efficient payments with instant acknowledgments. In the 2024–25 financial year, many property owners paid their taxes early to take advantage of incentives, particularly in the second half (October to March), pushing collections past ?2,000 crore – the highest recorded by the civic body.

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