As the financial year is approaching to end, both the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) is offering rebates on the payment of property tax. While NMMC is giving a 75% rebate on the penalty for delayed payment, the PMC has offered a flat 5% on total property tax if the tax is paid till March 31.
The PMC which is facing stiff resistance from citizens on payment of property taxes is offering an additional 2 % rebate if the online system is used to pay the taxes.
While NMMC is confident to achieve the target of Rs 600 crores for the financial year 2021-22 as it had already collected Rs 295.14 crores by November end, the PMC has so far collected hardly 10 percent of the target.
“NMMC launched special Abhay Yojana to waive off interest on delayed payment. This will increase the tax collection,” said a senior official from the property tax department. He added that the collection increases during the end of the financial year. In the last financial year, the civic body had collected Rs 159 crores under the Abhay Yojana. Under the scheme, the civic body will give a rebate of 75% off on interest or a penalty on delayed payment. According to a civic official, NMMC civic body had made a conservative estimate of property tax collection as many citizens were not able to pay taxes due to the loss of jobs and employment in the previous financial year.
Under the NMMC, there are a total of 3,25,179 property tax holders of which 2,60,932 are residential, 58,611 non-residential and 5,636 units are industrial. “The majority of the taxes come from the industrial units and they pay at the end of the financial year,” said the official.
While residents and villagers are opposing tax collection of the PMC, the civic body is trying hard to attract taxpayers. Even last year, the civic body had given a similar offer and collected around Rs 48 crores as property tax. So far, during this financial year, the civic body has already collected Rs 84.53 crores.
As per the civic body’s record, there are around 73,997 property tax holders and the civic body had estimated to collect around Rs 1000 crores.
