Curation Team
PUNE: Minister of urban development department Madhuri Misal on Tuesday said there had been no forceful tax collection from residents of areas merged into Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits and the process remained suspended.
Misal was replying to a question raised by Khadakwasla MLA Bhimrao Tapkir.
Tapkir said residents were unhappy with the property tax structure proposed by PMC, since it was significantly higher than panchayat charges. Many had also received incorrect and inflated property tax bills.
Misal said there had been no compulsion from the administration and some property owners paid taxes on their own. However, there had been reports of inflated bills.
She said the issue was under consideration and PMC had been directed to rework the tax structure and re-submit a proposal to the govt pertaining.
The civic administration has been in favour of collecting property tax in the 23 merged areas, but locals had protested.
Last year, the state govt had suspended tax collection in merged areas and there has been no decision on reviving the collection. PMC has approached the govt to allow the activity.
In another question, Tapkir demanded allotment of Rs50 crore for disaster management works in Pune. Misal said a process to allot Rs200 crore for the same was underway.
