Pmc’s Property Tax Rebate Scheme Finds Few Takers, Real Estate News, ET RealEstate
PUNE: Property owners are reluctant to submit PT3 forms to avail discount on property tax even as around 3 lakh of them may lose out on the rebate due to non-compliance, data from the civic body has revealed.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had announced a special 40% discount on property tax two months ago for self-occupying properties.
The scheme was floated in 1970 but was not notified as an Act by any successive state government. Hence, it was declared illegal by auditors of the Union government and was scrapped in 2019.
PMC in 2021 and 2022 had started recovering discounted amounts as arrears. SMSs were sent to property tax payers to make the payment of these arrears.
But after opposition from public, the recovery drive was stopped. Considering citizens’ opposition, the state Cabinet, in April 2023, reintroduced the discount, a notification for which was issued in July.
Residents claim it is the job of the civic administration to cross-verify occupants. The civic administration should not make the citizens run from pillar to post for discounts and other offers. “The citizens, who have been paying the tax diligently, suffer unnecessarily due to such compliances. The administration should make sure that the staff does cross-verification,” said Salil Kulkarni, a resident of Kothrud.
To avail the discount, residents are required to submit a PT3 form, a no objection certificate (NOC) from the society saying the owner is occupying the property, ID proof and property tax bill of any other property; if it is owned by the same property tax payer under PMC limits.
According to residents, documents like NOCs from the society are causing hurdles in completing the formalities of PT3 form submission. “Such NOCs are causing undue quarrels between society members and the management of the society. It is proving to be an obstacle as far as providing the documents are concerned,” said a resident of Kalyaninagar requesting anonymity.
Ganesh Shinde, a resident of Karve Road said the civic administration should make the process hassle-free. “An option of providing online submission of the document should be introduced. The administration can do the cross-verification following submission,” he said.
