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PCMC to intensify action against property tax defaulters
If defaulters with more than ₹5 lakh in property tax dues fail to clear their dues within 10 days, property seizure action will be initiated as per the discussion and orders given to regional officials during the meeting, officials said
The tax assessment and collection department of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has intensified action against property tax defaulters in the twin city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, with particular focus on high-value property tax defaulters with outstanding property tax dues of over ₹5 lakh, officials said.
Avinash Shinde, assistant commissioner of the tax assessment and collection department, PCMC, said, “The list of defaulters owing more than ₹5 lakh in property taxes was distributed to the respective zonal officers. The action plan involves a three-phase strategy and in the first phase, officers have been instructed to obtain the property records (7/12 extracts, property cards) of defaulters owing more than ₹5 lakh within the next 10 days. These details will be sent to the revenue officers to ensure that the arrears are officially recorded in the property records.”
Shekhar Singh, municipal commissioner, PCMC, said that property owners should pay their taxes within the next 10 days to avoid stern action like property seizure. “Property owners in the PCMC area have consistently supported the city’s development by paying their taxes on time. However, some defaulters have still not cleared their dues, and late fees have now been applied to their arrears,” he said.
A late fee of 2% has been applied from October 1 for property owners who have not yet paid their taxes. The PCMC has appealed to property owners to promptly pay their taxes to avoid increasing late fees on the outstanding tax amount.
Singh further informed that property tax from a significant number of defaulters is still outstanding with those owing more than ₹5 lakh set to have their arrears recorded in their property extracts within the next 10 days. “We urge these defaulters to pay their taxes to avoid the property seizure action that will follow in the second phase,” he said.
If defaulters with more than ₹5 lakh in property tax dues fail to clear their dues within 10 days, property seizure action will be initiated as per the discussion and orders given to regional officials during the meeting, officials said.
In the second phase, the properties will be seized whereas in the third phase, the seized properties will be auctioned. If these defaulters do not pay their pending taxes shortly, their properties will be seized by the PCMC. These seized properties will then be auctioned by the corporation. Strict instructions have been given to zonal and administrative officers to conduct an auction of the seized properties as part of the action.
The PCMC has a total 6.30 lakh registered properties, including residential, non-residential, industrial, mixed, and vacant land. In the current financial year, 372,667 property owners have paid ₹507 crore in property taxes. However, ₹725 crore is due in property taxes from the previous years with ₹45.78 crore due from defaulters who have made partial payments, officials said.
According to officials, ₹233 crore in property taxes is due for the current year along with ₹84.8 crore from partial payers. Among the defaulters, 2,022 property owners owe more than ₹5 lakh in property taxes with a total pending amount of ₹280.68 crore.
