The Congress party in Pune has raised objections to the proposed amnesty scheme aimed at waiving off property tax for open plot owners, terming it contradictory to the ongoing property auctions with tax dues. The contentious scheme, which targets 19,000 open plots predominantly owned by builders, has sparked controversy, with critics, including Congress City Unit President Arvind Shinde, claiming it is a politically motivated move ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Expressing his opposition to the proposal, Shinde stated, “On the backdrop of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the amnesty scheme is being introduced to waive off the property tax of 19,000 open plots. Most of these plots are owned by builders. The move is at the administration level to bring in the amnesty scheme for these open plot owners and ask them to pay only 20% of the property tax.”
He further highlighted the financial implications, stating, “Total property tax dues of the open plot owners are ₹2,000 crore. On the one hand, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is auctioning properties that have property tax dues while on the other, it is bringing in a proposal to waive off the property tax of open plot owners which in itself is a contradiction.”
Interestingly, the same proposal had surfaced before the standing committee a few years ago, with the Congress opposing it at that time as well. Despite the opposition, the administration had agreed with the Congress’s stand.
The controversy surrounding the amnesty scheme for open plot owners has intensified the political discourse in Pune, with debates over the perceived inconsistencies in the municipal corporation’s approach to property tax collections.
