VMC falls short of tax collection target

Vadodara: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) fell short of its tax collection target for the last financial year, though the overall revenue recorded a modest increase compared with the previous year.The civic body collected Rs 741.69 crore in tax revenue during 2025–26, higher than the Rs 713.19 crore collected in 2024–25. However, the figure was well below the target of Rs 790 crore set for the year.Officials in the civic body's revenue department said the target for 2025–26 was significantly higher than the previous year. In 2024–25, the target had been Rs 724 crore, which was relatively easier to achieve."We intentionally kept the target higher this year to push for maximum collection," a revenue department official said.Officials added that the collection effort was also affected as several staff members were deployed for the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and other census-related duties. In addition, a number of junior-level employees recently recruited by the civic body resigned from their posts, affecting manpower in the department.Data from the civic body show that property tax formed the bulk of the revenue, contributing Rs 614.05 crore. This was followed by professional tax at Rs 73.37 crore and vehicle tax at Rs 49.98 crore. The corporation also collected Rs 4.26 crore towards water meter charges during the financial yea