Pune: Server outage prevents many from paying their property tax on time, PMC extends deadline

PuneNow, July 31, 2023: A server outage at the Property Tax department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) threw citizens into a spin today, as they faced challenges making their tax payments. The server disruption began at 11 am, resuming at a slower pace around 2:30 pm.

The outage coincided with the last day for availing a 5% rebate on general tax payments, leading to heightened frustration and inconvenience among taxpayers. Taxpayers were to face a 2% penalty for outstanding arrears, colloquially known as ‘Shasti Kar’.

The temporary collapse of the municipal corporation’s online system occurred due to the surge in online tax payments. PMC’s website and dedicated centers for online payments were overwhelmed as many citizens rushed to make payment on the last day to avail the discount.

Taking congnizance of the issue, PMC took immediate action, recognizing the challenges faced by citizens.

Ajit Deshmukh, the Head of the Property Tax Department at PMC, confirmed the server disruption, which inconveniently coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, resulting in altered traffic patterns within the city.

In consideration of these extraordinary circumstances, the PMC has decided to extend the deadline for property tax payment until August 2, providing much-needed relief to the taxpayers.

Between May 15 and July 31, the Pune Municipal Corporation offered a 5% to 10% discount on residential property tax to citizens, resulting in a revenue collection of over Rs 1,100 crores in just two and a half months.

Today marked the final day to avail of the tax discount, and citizens were actively trying to pay their taxes on time. Online transactions and in-person visits to the civic amenities office in the Regional Office were the primary means of tax payment.

The PMC officials are now working on resolving the issue as a priority, to ensure that the citizens can make their payments and avail of the benefits of the discount scheme. Notably, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred, as similar issues were reported last year when hundreds of citizens rushed to make payment on the last day of the scheme.