Revenue officials of the Chennai corporation are working on a module wherein about 50,000 tax evaders will be pulled up and monitored.
After the recent merger, the city corporation is now compiling a tax database and will soon start a drive against tax defaulters, a senior corporation official said.
It is estimated that over 30,000 property tax payers are evading tax and most of them are located along the industrial areas. About 25,000 companies have also failed to obtain licenses from the civic body.
Integration of the database is over and verification of tax details is currently underway, added the official.
“Under the new module, genuine taxpayers will be encouraged to pay tax and we are hoping that the new bank walk-in mode of payment will encourage tax payers.
Though majority of the residents pay their taxes, about 20 to 30 per cent of them evade tax and the Corporation Revenue staff will target them,” the official added.
The civic body has instructed Revenue officials in all zones to pin point tax defaulters and companies that are functioning without licences.
Most defaulters are expected in the newly-merged zones of Manali, Valasaravakkam, Ambattur, Tiruvottiyur, Perungudi, Madhavaram, and Sholinganallur.
Even though the civic body has planned steps to widen its tax base by implementing additional tax for buildings that have rented out their terraces for cell phone towers, the matter is pending before court.
The Corporation is also suffering from shortage of staff as recruitment has been stopped for the past few years.