Mumbai: No sign of property tax bills from BMC

Representation Pic

With only 40 days left for the financial year to end, the BMC is yet to issue physical copies of property tax bills, or upload soft copies on its website. This delay continues even as the corporation was given a nod by the state cabinet 12 days ago, and a Government Resolution (GR) was issued on Friday - an essential development for the bills to reach Mumbaikars' doorsteps.

Following the GR, the BMC required 10 days more. Amid the challenges it faces with recovering property tax bills from big industries as well as ongoing disputes, the ordinary citizen remains inconvenienced. "We couldn't issue bills till the GR was issued in the gazette. Revised bills have already been prepared, and we will attempt to upload them as soon as possible," a senior official from the corporation said.

The BMC submitted a request to the state government in January; the state cabinet approved the ordinance on February 5, and following the governor's signature, the GR was published on February 16. In its 2023-24 budget, the corporation proposed a 16 per cent hike in property tax to increase revenue, but in the budget estimates of 2024-25, it maintained ambiguity over the hike due to the experiences of the past five years.

As per regulations, property tax rates are hiked every five years; the last one was due in 2020-21. The BMC has collected Rs 650 crore in property taxes thus far, with an estimated target of Rs 4,500 crore till March 31. The corporation is unwilling to push the deadline to pay the taxes.