Pune: Mahayuti Government Pushes for Property Tax Amnesty Ahead of PMC Elections

Pune, 3rd November 2025: With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections approaching, the ruling Mahayuti government has initiated steps to introduce a property tax amnesty scheme, seen as a move to woo voters.

According to civic sources, the state government has directed the PMC administration to prepare a proposal for the scheme, which will soon be submitted for approval to the Municipal Commissioner.

Discussions within the PMC suggest that the proposed scheme may be structured in a way that benefits large commercial defaulters the most, rather than only residential property owners as done previously.

At present, PMC’s total outstanding property tax dues have crossed ₹13,000 crore, owed by nearly 5.5 lakh property owners. The principal demand is around ₹3,500–4,000 crore, but with a 2% monthly interest on delayed payments, the arrears continue to grow. Additionally, the state government has halted tax recovery in the newly merged villages under PMC limits, preventing the civic body from issuing bills there. The unpaid taxes from these areas have significantly contributed to the mounting arrears.

A few months ago, the state government had written to the PMC seeking its opinion on implementing an amnesty scheme. At that time, the civic body had expressed reservations, warning that such a scheme would reduce its revenue and impact funding for development projects. Despite this, sources said, the state government continues to push the corporation to roll out the plan.

With civic polls around the corner, the state is reportedly keen on launching the amnesty scheme to create goodwill among voters while also boosting revenue collection before the election code of conduct comes into effect. The proposal is currently being drafted, and efforts are on to get it approved at the earliest.

Previously, amnesty schemes were limited to residential property owners. However, this time, large commercial defaulters may also be included to provide them relief, senior civic officials said. The proposal is expected to be tabled before the Municipal Commissioner for approval soon.

Earlier attempts to introduce such schemes were met with strong opposition from citizen groups and NGOs, who argued that amnesty programs reward habitual defaulters while penalizing honest taxpayers.

Following the pandemic, PMC had launched a similar amnesty in which around 2.1 lakh property owners cleared their dues. However, data shows that nearly 24,000 of these beneficiaries have defaulted again, accumulating ₹221 crore in pending property tax dues.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner (Property Tax) Avinash Sakpal confirmed the ongoing discussions, stating, “There have been talks about introducing an amnesty scheme for defaulters, but no decision has been finalized yet. The final call will be taken by the Municipal Commissioner.”