The Times of India            28.11.2013  

PCMC doubles property tax for illegal buildings

PUNE: Owners of unauthorized constructions in Pimpri Chinchwad will have to pay double the property tax. The civic body will soon start issuing tax bills for 2012-13 and for 2013-14.

The move has come following a state government decision to allow collection of additional property tax from owners of unauthorized constructions.

The PCMC's tax collection department has enlisted over 43,300 such constructions, to whom revised tax bills will be issued. Municipal corporation's rules allow such an imposition.

PCMC assistant commissioner Bhanudas Gaikwad, who heads the tax collection department, said the civic body received the directives from the state government on November 22. According to the directives, until an unauthorized construction is regularized, the owner concerned will have to pay double the amount of the property tax, he said.

In November 2010, the standing committee and the general body had rejected the civic administration's proposal for collecting additional property tax.

However, the state government later cancelled the decision and directed the PCMC to collect property tax as per the provisions in the municipal rules.

The civic body hopes to collect Rs 317 crore from property tax along with an additional sum of Rs 84 crore, from owners of unauthorized constructions.

The PCMC has recently started a survey of properties in the area. Besides verifying whether the property owners are paying tax, the civic body is also checking if the household drainage lines are connected to the underground drainage system. The civic body has already completed about 70 % of the survey.