The civic administration has planned to keep the property tax payment facility open even on holidays this month, so that the maximum number of citizens can avail of the discount offered on payments made before May 31.

A press statement issued by PMC said that citizens will be able to pay the tax by cheque at ward offices and citizen facilitation centres (CFCs) between 10am and 2pm on holidays.

Based on an assessment made by the PMC, owners of around 7.5 lakh properties in the city, including open plots, commercial and residential properties, are liable to pay the levy. Of these, around six lakh property owners have already made the payments.

Property tax is one of the main sources of revenue for the municipal corporation. The property tax department handles the billing and collection of tax on residential, commercial, plots and other types of properties - held privately or by governments (state and central) - within the PMC limits. The civic administration gives a five to 10% discount on payments made before May-end.

Though the civic administration has started this new initiative, the payment process continues to be cumbersome for citizens. As most of the CFCs started by PMC do not function properly, citizens have no option but to wait in queues at ward offices. Officials have said that the contractor concerned has been instructed to make all the CFCs functional.