Now, pay your civic taxes at cyber cafés

If you find it taxing to travel to the citizen facilitation centres (CFCs) at municipal ward offices during work-hours for paying property and water taxes, you can just visit the nearest Sify cyber café and pay your taxes.

The BMC has tied up with around 250 Sify outlets in the city, which will act as franchisees of the CFCs, and provide online access to all services offered by the civic body including online payments. The proposal will be discussed at the standing committee meeting on Thursday.

According to joint municipal commissioner V Radha, the cyber centres will offer facilities from 9 am to 9 pm to begin with and will charge a nominal service fee up to Rs10 from consumers. Currently, the CFCs provide services only for five hours between 10 am to 2 pm.

Cyber franchisees will facilitate access to those who do not have easy internet access. There are instances where people have to travel long distances to make their payments, the idea is to offer them a facility close at home. “To ensure that the franchisee does not hold on to the payment made by the user, the BMC has also proposed to open an escrow account with Sify, which makes it obligatory for them to deposit the payment without delay”, Radha said. BMC also plans to offer happy hour incentives for online taxpayers paying during non peak hours, he said.

In January, BMC shot letters to 500-odd cyber café owners asking them to enter into an agreement for the facility. Radha, however, said the offer will be open for other cyber café owners and chains too.