PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced a ban on 1.38 lakh property owners who are repeat defaulters from participating in the property tax amnesty scheme.
This decision follows concerns raised by citizens’ groups regarding some property owners who continuously default on their taxes while exploiting the amnesty benefits.
The current scheme grants a 75% discount on penalties for unpaid property taxes.
“Actions are underway to ensure that only legitimate beneficiaries obtain benefits from the schemes. Property owners who have previously availed of the scheme will not be eligible for it again,” stated Ravi Pawar, head of PMC’s property tax department.
Vivek Velankar from Sajag Nagrik Manch, a citizens’ advocacy group, commented, “Multiple amnesty schemes adversely affect the financial discipline of the municipal corporation and send a negative message to responsible taxpayers.”
According to PMC, there are outstanding taxes totaling approximately Rs 13,097.11 crore, comprised of Rs 3,635.62 crore in original tax and Rs 9,461.49 crore in penalties. A new amnesty scheme for property tax defaulters was announced last week, set to start on November 15.
“Given that the monthly penalty rate of 2% has surpassed the original tax amount, an amnesty scheme will run from November 15, 2025, to January 15 next year, providing a 75% waiver on penalties,” the administration reported.
Under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, a penalty of 2% is applied monthly for late property tax payments. The proposal reveals that arrears, including this penalty, are significantly high for delinquent properties.
