Budget: Property tax push drives MCC’s ₹1,311 crore revenue plan

The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has set an ambitious revenue target for 2026-27, projecting significant increases in property tax, trade licences, and non-tax revenues, while setting aside substantial funds for infrastructure, digitisation, and urban development.

With an opening balance of ₹234.64 crore, MCC has projected total receipts of ₹1,311.13 crore against an estimated expenditure of ₹1,300.92 crore for 2026–27, resulting in a surplus of ₹10.20 crore.

Regional Commissioner Nitesh Patil, who is the administrator of MCC, presented the budget at the council hall on Wednesday. MCC commissioner Sheikh Tanveer Asif was present.

Property tax continues to remain the MCC’s primary income source. As against a target of ₹252.60 crore in 2025-26, MCC had collected ₹227.82 crore by December 2025. For 2026–27, the target has been raised to ₹286.72 crore, expecting an improvement in collection.

In 2025-26, revenue from water tax and sewerage cess was moderate. Of the ₹98.51 crore target, only ₹57.80 crore was collected by December-2025. The target for the current financial year has been increased to ₹115.35 crore.

Income from building plan approvals, water connection fees, completion reports, penalties, and other sources almost met expectations last year, with ₹156.70 crore collected against a target of ₹157.35 crore by December 2025. However, MCC has scaled up expectations for 2026-27, fixing a target of ₹275 crore.

Significantly, trade licence fee collections exceeded the target. MCC mobilised ₹63.39 crore against ₹61.10 crore target in 2025-26. Perhaps, encouraged by this performance, the target has been revised upwardly to ₹88.40 crore for 2026-27.

Revenue from rental income and land leases was satisfactory. While ₹30.91 crore was expected from rentals from commercial complexes and markets and land leases, only ₹20.44 crore was collected by December. The MCC has now set a higher target of ₹50 crore from these assets.

Advertisement revenue fell short last year, with ₹10.67 crore collected against a target of ₹20 crore. The same target has been maintained for 2026-27.

A significant portion of MCC’s finances continues to depend on grants from the State government under various schemes. MCC received ₹44 crore out of the ₹88 crore expected under the State Finance Commission by December and is expecting an additional ₹34 crore. ₹33.77 crore has been allocated towards wages of outsourced pourakarmikas for the current year.

A sum of ₹96.36 crore in State aid is expected towards streetlight electricity bills and maintenance, as well as water distribution maintenance. Under the 16th Finance Commission, ₹110.03 crore has been earmarked. In comparison, MCC had expected ₹125.21 crore last year but received only ₹93.90 crore by December 2025.