Pune Residents Demand 25% Property Tax Rebate for Regular Payers

Pune, 17th November 2025: A citizens’ rights organisation has raised concerns over the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) offering a 75% penalty waiver to property tax defaulters under its ongoing Amnesty Scheme, while regular taxpayers receive no benefits. The organisation has urged Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Naval Kishore Ram to grant a 25% concession to regular taxpayers as a matter of fairness.

Sudhir Kakasaheb Kulkarni of the Nagari Hakka Sanstha criticised the civic administration, stating that PMC welcomes defaulters with flowers and rangolis when they come to clear long-pending dues, yet the corporation does not extend even basic appreciation toward those who consistently contribute crores of rupees to civic revenue by paying their taxes on time.

The city—including the old limits and newly merged villages—has property tax arrears amounting to nearly ₹13,000 crore. Defaulters who fail to pay within the stipulated deadline are charged a two percent monthly penalty, causing the dues to accumulate significantly over the years. To recover the outstanding amount and generate funds for development works, PMC has launched an Amnesty Scheme from November 15 to January 15. Under the scheme, defaulters will receive a 75% waiver on the penalty amount. On the first day of the scheme, PMC officials welcomed defaulters with bouquets and decorative rangolis, resulting in a collection of ₹6.28 crore.

Kulkarni has strongly objected to PMC’s grand welcome for defaulters, questioning the rationale behind rolling out a red carpet for those who have not paid their dues for years. He demanded to know why the corporation is offering major benefits to defaulters while regular taxpayers receive no incentive. He reiterated that if defaulters are being offered a 75% waiver, regular taxpayers should at least be granted a 25% rebate as a gesture of respect and fairness.

This is the fourth time PMC has introduced an Amnesty Scheme to recover property tax arrears. However, Kulkarni pointed out that only a limited number of defaulters make use of these schemes, and many of the same individuals repeatedly avail the concessions and then become defaulters again. He demanded to know what action PMC intends to take against such habitual offenders. Kulkarni also questioned whether the upcoming municipal elections influenced the decision to launch the scheme.

Kulkarni has urged PMC to publish on its website the list of those who have defaulted on property tax as well as those who have previously benefited from the Amnesty Scheme. This, he said, will help citizens understand whether the same taxpayers repeatedly take advantage of penalty waivers. He insisted that while PMC is granting a 75% concession to defaulters, the administration must extend at least a 25% rebate to citizens who pay their taxes regularly.