Pimpri Chinchwad: PCMC Misses ₹1,000-Crore Property Tax Target, Blames Election Duties For ₹80-100 Crore Revenue Shortfall

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has missed its property tax collection target of ₹1,000 crore for the financial year 2024-25, collecting ₹965.71 crore instead.

PCMC had set a property tax collection target of ₹1,000 crore for the financial year 2024-25. Last year, PCMC collected ₹977 crore in property tax over a one-year period ending March 31, 2024, and ₹816 crore in 2023.

The civic body cited election duty as the reason for the shortfall in revenue collection, estimating a loss of ₹80-100 crore as their staff was busy.

It stated, "PCMC officials and staff were engaged in Lok Sabha and Assembly election duties during FY 2024-25. Due to this, expected revenue recovery could not be fully achieved. The Model Code of Conduct was in effect for nearly 40 days, during which the civic body estimates it could have collected an additional ₹80 to ₹100 crore."

Property tax emergs as the strongest revenue

Meanwhile, the total revenue generated by PCMC for the fiscal year stood at ₹2,100 crore, with property tax emerging as the strongest revenue stream, thanks to tech-driven reforms like drone mapping and GIS-based assessments.

PCMC generates revenue from various departments, including the Property Tax Department, Building Permission Department, Water Supply Department, Fire Department, and Sky Sign and License Department.

In FY 2024-25, the combined revenue from all these departments amounted to nearly ₹2,100 crore. This includes approximately ₹881.71 crore from the Building Permission Department, ₹163 crore from the Fire Department, ₹20.56 crore from the Sky Sign and License Department, ₹76.41 crore from the Water Supply Department, and ₹965.71 crore as property tax.

The highest revenue came from property tax collections, with key initiatives like drone surveys and data analytics significantly boosting revenue. PCMC has adopted GIS-based drone mapping for property tax improvement, which helped identify 2.53 lakh newly constructed properties. Tax assessments have been completed for about 92,000 properties, generating ₹98 crore so far against an expected ₹177 crore. In the current financial year, the remaining 1.27 lakh properties are targeted for tax assessment, with an estimated potential of ₹350 crore in additional revenue.

In addition, priority will be given to recovering dues from property owners who have not paid their taxes. The civic body aims to complete this process within the next six months. The auctioning of seized properties due to non-payment is planned for April and May. These two months will also focus on awareness campaigns regarding tax recovery, timely bill distribution, and promoting property tax rebates.

Due to effective measures implemented by the Slum Eradication and Rehabilitation Department, there has been a record increase in revenue collection in FY 2024-25. The department collected around ₹45.54 lakh, up from ₹29.77 lakh in FY 2023-24.