Pune Municipal Commissioner Orders Review Of Property Tax Department Amid Rising Complaints And Revenue Shortfall

Pune, 18th March 2025: Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale has ordered a comprehensive review of the Property Tax Department following declining revenue, recurring technical glitches in the server, and growing complaints from citizens regarding tax assessment and poor staff responsiveness. The review will be conducted over the next two days, with a focus on cases where citizens have applied for tax assessment but no action has been taken.

In the 2024-25 budget, the Property Tax Department was tasked with generating ₹2,700 crore in revenue. However, only ₹2,150 crore has been collected so far, falling short of the target. To identify the reasons behind the revenue deficit, Dr. Bhosale has initiated the review process.

Many citizens have applied for a 40% concession in property tax at their respective Ward Offices, but no decision has been made on their applications. Additionally, hundreds of property owners have submitted applications requesting tax assessments after receiving occupancy certificates. However, due to the negligence of department officials, these applications have been ignored, contributing to the revenue decline.

In response to the mounting complaints, Dr. Bhosale has announced plans to organize Lok Adalats and Ward-level camps to resolve pending property tax issues. He emphasized that a detailed review will be conducted to identify the reasons behind the pending applications and to expedite their resolution.

Meanwhile, the State Government has halted property tax collection from 23 villages merged into the PMC limits. Consequently, from April onwards, the residents of these villages will not receive property tax bills. Prior to the merger, Gram Panchayats levied taxes in these villages. The State Government has now suggested doubling the previous tax rates, a proposal currently under review.

However, the suspension of tax collection from these villages has created financial challenges for the PMC, which requires funds to provide essential infrastructure. To address this, the PMC has requested the State Government to allocate ₹250 crore to support the development of basic amenities in the merged villages.