To recover outstanding taxes, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) plans to auction 202 properties whose owners have not settled their dues. The online auction is scheduled for December, and if defaulters do not comply by the extended deadline of December 20, the auction will proceed. The PMC aims to generate around Rs 60 crore through this auction, considering it a last resort for tax recovery. The administration has already sealed over 1,300 properties due to tax defaults, and the remaining 1,100 are set to be auctioned in phases over the coming months. The PMC has set a property tax collection target of Rs 2,318.15 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24.
In a bid to recover outstanding taxes, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced plans to auction the properties of defaulters in an online auction scheduled for December. The civic body intends to auction 202 properties whose owners have failed to settle their tax dues despite multiple notices. PMC administrator Vikram Kumar revealed that despite extended deadlines for payment until December 20, the auction will proceed if the defaulters do not comply. The move follows the sealing of over 1,300 properties due to tax defaults, with the remaining 1,100 set to go under the hammer in phases over the coming months. The PMC aims to generate approximately Rs 60 crore through the auction, considering it as a last resort for tax recovery. Prior to resorting to auctions, the administration employs various measures such as issuing notices and temporarily sealing properties. If no payment is received, the PMC takes possession of the property and changes the ownership name in the 7/12 extracts. Activists, however, are urging the administration to target major defaulters. Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch, a citizens' group, emphasized the need for consistent action against establishments with significant tax defaults, even in the presence of amnesty schemes. The PMC has initiated efforts to seal 40 properties in the first four days of the enforcement drive. In the upcoming fiscal year 2023-24, the PMC has set a property tax collection target of Rs 2,318.15 crore. Additionally, the civic administration anticipates collecting nearly Rs 300 crore from water taxes levied on residential properties as part of the overall property tax, bringing the total expected revenue from property tax to Rs 2,618.15 crore. With the abolition of octroi and local body tax (LBT), the PMC faces limited revenue-generation options, relying heavily on property tax for funding its operations.
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