KATHMANDU: Approximately 200,000 taxpayers are not consistently paying taxes at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), records have shown.

As reported, out of the 312,000 taxpayers registered with KMC, 200,000 are identified as irregular taxpayers.

The KMC Revenue Department reveals that the metropolis is gearing up for ward-level monitoring to address the non-compliance of taxpayers who have been avoiding the payment process for an extended period in violation of the regulations.

Of the reluctant taxpayers, about 100,000 are those hesitating to pay rent-related taxes.

Additionally, more than 100,000 taxpayers are unwilling to pay business tax, entertainment tax, and advertisement tax, as stated by Dhruba Kafle, the Chief of KMC Revenue Department.

Kafle mentions that KMC plans to enhance tax compliance by regularly monitoring and bringing unregistered taxpayers of all categories into the system starting this month.

He points out that outstanding amounts totaling Rs 2 billion are yet to be recovered from registered taxpayers at KMC, and these dues have been pending for the past 12 years, according to KMC sources.

The metropolis had set an annual revenue target of Rs 10.80 billion for the current fiscal year but has only managed to collect Rs 5.80 billion in the first eight months.

Although the revenue collection status was satisfactory in the initial six months of the fiscal year, KMC’s revenue in the last month (mid-January to mid-February 2024) has decreased compared to previous months.