PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) claims to have received a strong response to its amnesty scheme for property tax defaulters, but this seems to have had little impact on overall tax collection, as the civic body is unlikely to meet its target or even match last year’s figures.
PCMC has set a target of Rs1,000 crore to earn from property tax this fiscal.
According to civic officials, PCMC has earned property tax revenue of nearly Rs 80 crore since the launch of the amnesty scheme on March 1. The scheme offers a 90% waiver on penalties for defaulters. However, the benefit is available only to those who clear their dues in a lump sum payment between March 1 and March 31.
“The civic body has so far collected Rs 830 crore in property tax in the current financial year, with nearly Rs 80 crore only in the last 20 days of the scheme. The administration has waived off a total of Rs 19.15 crore towards the scheme,” a civic official said.
“Despite the temporary boost, the overall collections may still fall short of expectations by the end of the financial year. In the year 2024-25, the civic body had earned property tax revenue of Rs 966 crore while it had earned Rs 977 crore in 2023-24 fiscal,” the official added.
PCMC introduced the amnesty scheme for the first time after several corporators raised this demand in the first general body meeting of the municipal corporation, claiming it would help the civic body increase its revenue. The move was also prompted by a dip in collections in the 2024-25 financial year.
“The enthusiastic response to the scheme reflects the trust residents have in the administration. The scheme aims to provide relief to citizens by offering concessions on the penalty charged for pending property tax. Citizens who still have outstanding property tax dues are urged to avail of the scheme,” mayor Ravi Landge said.
