The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has successfully recovered a significant sum in outstanding property taxes, thanks to a special amnesty scheme that offered substantial penalty waivers to defaulters. During the four-month window from September to December of the current financial year, the civic body collected a hefty Rs 66 crore from residents who had previously not paid their dues.
Amnesty Scheme Drives Major Recovery
This targeted initiative proved highly effective, attracting around 86,000 defaulters to clear their pending bills. In return for settling their accounts in full, these property owners benefited from rebates totaling Rs 22 crore, as the scheme offered penalty waivers ranging from a generous 85% to 95%. Under standard NMC rules, defaulters face a monthly penalty of 2% on unpaid amounts, along with additional charges for legal notices and warrants.
With this infusion of funds, the total property tax collection for the NMC until the end of December 2025 has climbed to an impressive Rs 208 crore. Civic officials noted that the public response to this year's scheme was even stronger than the previous amnesty drive.
Building on Past Success
This is not the first time the NMC has used this strategy to boost collections. In the 2023–24 financial year, a similar scheme ran from October 1 to January 31, offering up to 95% penalty relief. That earlier round enabled over 60,000 defaulters to clear their dues, resulting in penalty waivers of Rs 25 crore and total collections of approximately Rs 55 crore.
For the current financial year, the municipal corporation has set an ambitious property tax collection target of Rs 275 crore. With Rs 208 crore already in the coffers by December's end, the body still needs to gather another Rs 67 crore to achieve its goal. Officials remain optimistic, citing the previous year's performance where the NMC exceeded its target by collecting Rs 256 crore against a goal of Rs 250 crore in the 2024–25 financial year.
Election Duties Caused Temporary Slowdown
An NMC official acknowledged that property tax recovery efforts faced headwinds over the past three months, as a large portion of the civic staff was reassigned to election-related duties. This diversion of resources temporarily slowed the collection drive.
"A dedicated recovery drive will be launched in February and March once the civic polls conclude," the official stated, outlining the plan to close the collection gap. The official expressed strong confidence in the NMC's ability to meet the annual target, stating, "We are confident of achieving the property tax target for the current financial year."
The scale of the task is underscored by the number of properties under the NMC's jurisdiction. The property tax department has 6 lakh properties on its records across the city's six administrative divisions, highlighting the importance of consistent revenue collection for civic operations.
