PMC Property Tax | 40 pc rebate in property tax cancelled: Puneites shocked by huge bills; political parties keep mum
Pune : NpNews24 Online – PMC Property Tax | Puneites who are reeling under high inflation, have got a jolt due to the increased property tax. After the 40 per cent rebate being given in the property tax was cancelled, the PMC has started collecting the increased charges from 2018. Since the property tax has increased, angry citizens are asking questions. However, political parties, which take to streets over religious issues, have preferred to keep mum and the citizens have been left to fend for themselves.
The new financial year has started from April 1 and the civic body has started sending new bills of the property tax. In the 2022-23 bill, the 40 pc rebate amount from 2018 has also been included. The citizens are upset as there is a huge hike in the property tax.
The state government had issued an order that the 40 pc rebate in the property tax should be cancelled. Hence, the rebate was cancelled. However, after the demands made by the citizens, a decision was taken to continue with the rebate in the last GB of the PMC. The proposal was sent to the state government for its approval.
Sources said that the proposal has not yet been approved by the government. Hence, the PMC has started collecting 40 pc charges given as rebate from 2018. Hence, the property tax bills of the citizens have increased. Sources clarified that no fine has been levied on the rebate amount which can be paid in installments. If this rebate continues, the pending dues in the property tax bill is likely to be cancelled.
The order to cancel the 40 pc rebate has been issued in 2018. However, a decision was taken to collect the pending dues from property tax bills this year. The BJP, which is ruling in the PMC, had boasted that property tax had not been hiked since five years, and did not take any decision in the last year, which is the election year.
A proposal to continue with the rebate was taken in the last meetings of the standing committee and the GB in March this year. Hemant Rasne who was the chief of the standing committee for four consecutive years, had set up a committee to recommend ways to increase the income of the civic body.
However, he also ignored the issue. Main opposition parties like NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena also turned a blind eye to the issue. What is important is that no one spoke on the issue in the last GB meeting.
After the tenure of the corporators ended on March 14, the municipal commissioner was appointed as the administrator of the civic body. The citizens are receiving the property tax bills for 2022-23 from April 1 and they are flabbergasted by the huge increase in the property tax bill. The citizens are at their wits end because they have received bills of Rs 50 to 60 thousand instead of the yearly bills of Rs 2000 to 2,500.
The citizens are frustrated because no political party is doing a follow-up with the state government on the issue.
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