Pune Municipal Corporation contemplates an amnesty scheme to encourage property tax compliance, offering reduced penalties through Lok Adalat. PMC's administrator, Vikram Kumar, aims to motivate defaulters, despite concerns from civic activists. Records indicate a substantial Rs 4,500 crore outstanding from property owners. A Lok Adalat is scheduled for December, following PMC's successful collection of Rs 479.09 crore in 2021-22. Despite opposition, PMC targets Rs 2318.15 crore in property tax for 2023-24, emphasising its crucial role post-octroi and LBT removal, with tax payment options based on property ARV.
To encourage property tax compliance, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is mulling over the introduction of an amnesty scheme targeting defaulters. The proposed initiative includes a reduction in penalties, and residents in PMC regions can avail of these benefits through Lok Adalat.
PMC's administrator, Vikram Kumar, emphasised the administration's goal to motivate defaulters into settling their overdue taxes. The initiative aims to prompt more individuals to step forward and address their outstanding tax obligations.
City records reveal a substantial outstanding amount of around Rs 4,500 crore from property owners, spanning a period of two to ten years, covering both residential and commercial properties.
To facilitate the process, civic officials have scheduled a Lok Adalat for the second week of December. Prior notification will be provided to those who haven't settled their dues, offering them an opportunity to participate.
In the fiscal year 2021-22, the city administration successfully collected Rs 479.09 crore from property tax defaulters through an amnesty program. A noteworthy 1.49 lakh property owners took advantage of this initiative to clear their dues.
Despite previous success, the proposed reintroduction of an 80% discount on property tax penalties faced opposition. Civic activists argued against promoting it as a routine practice, expressing concerns about its long-term effectiveness.
Looking ahead to the fiscal year 2023-24, PMC has set an ambitious target of Rs 2318.15 crore for property tax collection. Additionally, the civic administration expects to gather around Rs 300 crore in water tax from residential properties as part of the property tax, projecting a total revenue of Rs 2618.15 crore.
With the removal of octroi and local body tax (LBT), the civic administration finds itself with limited revenue-generating options, emphasising the significance of property tax in the current landscape.
Property tax is calculated based on the annual rateable value (ARV) of a property, offering property owners the flexibility to choose between traditional offline payment methods or the convenience of online transactions.
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