PMC urged not to introduce new amnesty scheme when property tax defaulters misusing old one

So much so that civic activist Vivek Velankar has urged the municipality not to repeat the same mistake

At a time when the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has itself acknowledged that the same defaulters are taking the benefit of the existing amnesty scheme, the civic body is preparing to introduce one more such scheme for property tax defaulters.

The PMC’s own data is showing that some people are taking the benefit of the amnesty scheme again and again and intentionally becoming defaulters instead of paying the tax. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

So much so that civic activist Vivek Velankar has urged the municipality not to repeat the same mistake. “The PMC property tax department had given me a written answer last week that in the year 2020-21, a total 63,518 taxpayers again became defaulters though they took the benefit of the amnesty scheme the previous year. In the year 2021-22, 44,885 of the same taxpayers became defaulters who had taken the benefit of the amnesty scheme.”

“The PMC’s own data is showing that some people are taking the benefit of the amnesty scheme again and again and intentionally becoming defaulters instead of paying the tax. I appeal to the administration to at least bring in a clause in the new amnesty scheme to the effect that a person will be able to take the benefit of the scheme only once,” Velankar said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ujwal Keskar said, “This year too, the administration is in a hurry to launch the amnesty scheme for defaulters. It is an injustice to honest taxpayers who are paying the tax on time.”

“On the one hand, the PMC itself is accepting that the same people are taking the benefit of this scheme whereas on the other, it wants to give additional benefit to these people. I appeal to the administration not to bring in such a scheme this year,” Keskar said.