Residents may go to court over Panvel Municipal Corporation's property tax demand

The scenic Kharghar hills belie the troubles of its residents

The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) Property Tax row is now gradually seeing a people's movement against the civic corporation for charging a higher tax retrospectively, with no service provided to residents. Legal experts and the MahaSEWA founder have threatened to take the matter to court if the state government fails to resolve the issue soon.

mid-day had reported on June 18 in ‘Panvel Municipal Corporation's property tax demand angers Kharghar residents,' that residents and flat owners within PMC have opposed dual and retrospective property tax. While they have been paying service tax to CIDCO, the PMC also wants them to pay property tax since 2016, when it was formed.

"As the second wave of Covid-19 is receding, the PMC has served crores of rupees property tax notices to housing societies in Kharghar, Taloja, Kalamboli, Kamothe, etc. This has given a jolt to the middle-class citizens residing in the area," said founder president of MahaSEWA, CA Ramesh Prabhu.

Prabhu added, "PMC came into existence in the year 2016. But till date, CIDCO is the development authority for Kharghar, Taloja, Kalamboli and Kamothe, and flat purchasers in these areas had paid stamp duty, development charges to it. CIDCO is also recovering property tax. PMC's property tax notices are injustice to middle-class families, especially during a pandemic, when people are already facing pay cuts and job loss."

"Why should people pay taxes to CIDCO and PMC both, when PMC falls under category ‘D' class corporation and the taxes are being levied as a ‘B' and ‘C' category municipal corporation? On what basis is the corporation levying such hefty charges? We are taking up this matter with the state Urban Department (UD -2) and with the Chief Minister's office," said Prabhu.

Prabhu added that in a webinar this Sunday (June 20) they have called all the aggrieved parties to express their views. "Participants need to discuss their difficulties and the challenges they are facing with PMC and CIDCO in getting civic services and to decide the way forward - whether to go for legal options or protest (digital), and fix meetings with concerned ministers to intervene in the matter. We are also trying to rope in MLA Prashant Thakur, CIDCO MD Sanjay Mukherjee and PMC Commissioner Sudhakar Deshmukh, to join the panel discussion," he said.

"For more and more people to get information on the PMC property tax, we have been regularly organising online discussions. We have called eminent legal experts and even Aditi Tatkare, the state and Guardian minister to attend this Sunday's panel discussion, and to raise our residents' concerns to the appropriate authorities within the state government," said Mangesh Ranawde, Chairman of Kharghar Taloja Colonies Welfare Association (KTCWA).

"I am looking forward to the meeting on Sunday, and accordingly will take a decision" said Aditi Tatkare, State and Guardian Minister of Raigad district. Advocate Vinod Sampat, founder president of Co-operative Societies Residents' Association who will participate in the webinar, said, "A simple question is why should the common man be subjected to double taxation? Why should CIDCO be entitled to collect money at the time of transfer of flat, what additional services is it giving today?"

‘Major source of revenue'

Prashant Thakur, MLA (BJP) from Panvel said, "There is a delay in collection of property tax by PMC and property tax is a major source of revenue generation for any civic corporation, and the funds are utilised for providing improvised services to public. The residents opposing the property tax, have raised two concerns a) double taxation from PMC, when they have not been able to provide any service so far to residents and b) seldom services from CIDCO even after paying service charges. As an elected MLA of BJP party, even BJP is equally against double taxation, and demands a legitimate fair taxation policy."

"A resolution to this effect was already passed by the PMC's general body in March 2021, but by the time it could have been implemented, we faced more restrictions due to Covid-19. We have also written to the state government. With the situation easing, we have taken up this issue on a war footing and will get an amicable solution," said Thakur.