JOIN USMCC eyes Rs 2 crore in ad tax mop-up this year
Mangalore City Corporation has a made a remarkable achievement in advertisement tax collection in the 2014-15, by collecting Rs 1.94 crore of tax by the end of January, which is almost 80 per cent of the target. For the first time in the history of the corporation, it would collect Rs 2 crore from advertisement this year.
After implementing the 16-point guideline policy on advertisement 2011, advertisement zones were divided into intensive, moderate and less intensive zones.
Then MCC Commissioner Dr Vijay Prakash had aimed to increase the advertisement revenue up to Rs two crore, which might had become around 3.5 per cent of the total income of the corporation (MCC revenue was Rs 60 crore). However, it didn’t reach Rs 2 crore mark till date.
Last year the corporation had collected Rs 1.75 crore from advertisement. This year it has already reached Rs 1.94 crore. There are more than 568 signboards and above 1,013 hoardings in the city. Revenue has also been collected from pallets, road medians too. At present, the revenue of the MCC is around Rs 110 crore. This year, if advertisement revenue reaches Rs 2 crore, it will be around two per cent of total income of the corporation.
Unauthorised buntings
MCC Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) K Raju Mogaveera said that corporation would act tough against advertisement agencies if they don’t pay tax and they may even loss permission. To remove unauthorised cut-outs, banners, buntings, posters a drive has been started from January 22. The hoardings without permission tag are also being cleared. Already more than 440 such hoarding and banners have been removed beside main roads and drive is going on in interior places.
On too many hoardings in City, MCC Joint Commissioner Gokuldas Nayak said the permissions were granted in past to the existing hoardings and now every proposal has to go before the standing committee. Meanwhile, he agreed that it has become tough task to avoid banners. So, the corporation is thinking about identifying a specific place for banners in City, so that people can get publicity and MCC can keep other places clean, he said.