Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Property tax-paying citizens in the city have started clearing their dues, including property tax and water tax, at the beginning of the new financial year. The municipal corporation collected revenue of Rs 4.68 crore over five days, from April 7 to 11.
Property tax is a key source of income for the municipal corporation. In the previous financial year, the civic body collected over Rs 215 crore through property tax, a record collection so far. Civic office-bearers have also adopted the stance that ‘no tax means no development work,’ making tax payment effectively unavoidable for citizens.
Last year, only 42 per cent of citizens paid property tax. However, Mayor Sameer Rajurkar, standing committee Chairman Anil Makariye, and Commissioner Amol Yedge have expressed their intention to increase this to at least 80 pc. The civic body plans to intensify tax recovery efforts, identify new properties, conduct GIS surveys, and re-check old property records. The target for the financial year 2026–27 has been set at Rs 300–350 crore in tax collection.
As the financial year begins, many compliant taxpayers try to pay early to avail discounts offered on general tax if paid between April and June. However, citizens often face issues due to the municipal website being down. This year, the tax payment portal became active on April 7, after which there was a surge in payments. A large number of citizens also visited ward offices to pay in cash. In just five days, the civic body collected Rs 4.01 crore in property tax and Rs 67 lakh in water tax, totalling Rs 4.68 crore.
24 pc interest levy
From July onwards, the civic administration begins charging interest on pending taxes for the current financial year. By year-end, this penalty can go up to 24 pc, significantly impacting taxpayers. On overdue amounts, interest is levied on a compounding basis, adding to the burden on property owners.