Pune: Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to appoint 400 personnel for the property tax department to help increase the tax recovery base. The standing committee of PMC approved the appointment of extra personnel on Tuesday for which the civic body will be spending Rs 3 crore in the next six months and hopes to recover Rs 200 crore additional property tax.
Standing committee chairman Hemant Rasne said, “Many new flat owners are willing to pay tax to the PMC, but as their property assessment has not been completed, they are unable to pay the tax. By using the additional manpower, the PMC administration will be able to complete more assessments and verify existing flats and its use.”
“Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the PMC has to bear an unexpected financial burden and hence, it is necessary to improve the revenue collection of the civic body. Thus the Standing committee has approved the appointment of at least 400 personnel for the property tax department. They can help in the recovery of more tax which means additional revenue for the civic body,” Rasne added.
The standing committee had given a Rs 2,000 crore tax collection target to the property tax department for the financial year 2020-21. The additional manpower will be deployed for the purpose of identifying properties whose tax assessment has not been done so far, to recover the dues, find out illegal constructions or properties that have changed the property use from residential to commercial without informing the civic body.
Of the additional 400 personnel, priority will be given to 200 employees working in different departments of the PMC. As per Minimum Wage Act, these employees will have to be paid Rs 19500 per month. These employees will be deployed for the next six months. A total of Rs 3 crore will be spent on remuneration of the additional 400 staff including some officers and other personnel.
