PUNE: Madhuri Misal, the Minister of Urban Development, clarified on Tuesday that there has been no coercive tax collection from residents in areas merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) territory, and this process has been temporarily halted.
Misal was responding to queries from Khadakwasla MLA Bhimrao Tapkir, who expressed concerns about the proposed property tax structure. Tapkir noted that the new rates set by PMC significantly exceed the previous panchayat fees, leading to dissatisfaction among locals. Furthermore, some residents reported receiving inaccurate and inflated tax bills.
Misal assured that there were no mandatory compliance measures from the administration; some property owners opted to pay their taxes voluntarily. Nevertheless, she acknowledged reports of inflated billing and stated that the situation is being examined. She tasked PMC with revising the tax structure and resubmitting a proposal to the government.
The civic administration supports the idea of taxing the 23 newly merged areas, but has faced opposition from residents. Last year, the state government decided to suspend tax collection in these areas, and no decisions have been made regarding its revival. The PMC has requested permission to restart the collection process.
In a separate inquiry, Tapkir requested an allocation of Rs. 50 crore for disaster management initiatives in Pune. Misal responded that a plan to earmark Rs. 200 crore for this purpose is currently in progress.
