Online property tax collection up 40%, next two weeks to bring in more moolah

An increasing number of Puneiites are opting for property tax payment through online portals this year’s collection reveals.

In the last 45 days, the Pune Municipal Corporation collected Rs 286 crore of property tax, of which 40% (around Rs 114 crore) was received via online gateways. Last year the administration was able to collect 30% of the tax amount via online portals in same period.

Sources said that an increase in tax collection will help the department to achieve its annual tax collection target of Rs 1,333.50 crore. A source said PMC was expecting more rise in tax collection in the next two weeks on account of the various rebate schemes ending on May 31.

There is an additional concession of 2% if tax is paid through online portals and one-time payment of annual tax will give rebate of up to 10%.

The department said it has already issued tax bill to every tax payer in the city. It has emphasized tax payment through online portals. The process of online payment is explained on the PMC's website.

A property tax department official said, "Statistics show more residents are opting for online gateways to pay property tax to avoid long queues. Last year, about 35% tax was collected via online gateways. This year, it has already climbed up to 40%. We are expecting to take up the online tax collection beyond 50% in near future."