The civic administration is looking to earn around Rs 245 crore by auctioning the sealed properties of errant taxpayers in its bid to offset a slowdown in the property tax collection in the municipal limits.The administration has set a target of Rs 2,300 crore property tax collection in the current fiscal ending March 2024. Till July-end, PMC managed to mop-up Rs 1,300 crore in property tax revenue. In August and September, however, the civic body could collect only around Rs 100 crore.“The civic administration will carry out the process of auctioning after due legal diligence. The auction will be carried out in phases,” PMC commissioner and administrator Vikram Kumar said.
Civic officials said the defaulters were issued notices, followed by sealing of their properties for a brief period before these properties were finally attached and PMC put its name on the 7/12 abstracts.
Activists said the civic administration’s amnesty scheme for the benefit of tax defaulters sent out a wrong message, adversely affecting its income. “The diligent taxpayers have not got any additional respite, but the defaulters have got the discount. The administration is not acting against the big defaulters,” Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch, a citizens’ group, said.
As a part of its efforts to increase revenue, the PMC has started the process to charge property tax from Metro rail authority. The tax will be levied on 18 stations, two depots, and other properties owned by the Maha Metro Rail Corporation. According to PMC officials, the administration is expected to generate around Rs 20 crore per year from the taxes on Metro properties.
Around 12 lakh properties are liable for the payment of the tax under the jurisdiction of PMC.
The civic administration gives special discount to the taxpayers who pay their dues before May 31 every year.
The civic administration has a huge task of recovering Rs 8,000 crore from the tax defaulters.
It also includes tax on mobile towers and big defaulters like industries, commercial complexes, IT parks and hospitals.