The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has launched a property tax waiver scheme offering relief of up to 99% on certain private property dues, while the civic body seeks to recover long-pending taxes from 386,288 taxpayers. The scheme is expected to remain open until March 2027, with a possible two-month extension, according to a report by Anandabazar – Kolkata.
The announcement followed a declaration by Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari and was made at a press conference by municipal administrator and commissioner Smita Pandey. The scheme covers both residential and commercial properties, subject to conditions set by the civic body. Government properties will receive a 100% waiver under the programme, while eligible private properties can receive relief of up to 99%.
The municipal corporation has set a target of collecting Rs 784 crore through the initiative. Taxpayers who clear their outstanding dues within the specified period will be eligible for substantial waivers on interest and penalties. The interest calculation has been taken up to September, according to the commissioner as quoted in the report.
Applications can be made online by scanning a QR code linked to the waiver scheme. The corporation has also retained an offline process for taxpayers who are not comfortable using digital services. The dual arrangement is relevant to the scheme’s reach because property tax compliance depends not only on the size of the concession but also on whether taxpayers can access the application and payment system without technical or procedural barriers.
The civic body had introduced a similar waiver scheme in 2020. The latest programme is intended to convert long-pending assessments into immediate collections by reducing the additional financial burden created by accumulated interest and penalties. Its outcome will depend on how the corporation identifies eligible properties, communicates the conditions and processes applications across residential, commercial and government holdings.
The figures cited in the report require clarification before they can be treated as a confirmed account of Kolkata’s outstanding property tax. The report states that property tax arrears amount to Rs 6,854.29 crore, with penalties of Rs 401.38 crore and interest of Rs 3,314.13 crore. It then gives a combined figure of Rs 3,138.76 crore, which does not reconcile mathematically with the three preceding amounts. The reported taxpayer count and the municipal collection target also require confirmation from the corporation’s underlying records.
The timing of the scheme has also drawn political criticism. Opposition parties have alleged that its launch ahead of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election, expected in the final week of November, could benefit the ruling BJP. The report attributes that allegation to opposition parties; it does not provide an independent assessment of the political claim.
The corporation has separately raised the issue of server performance during the press briefing. Pandey said the matter was being examined on a trial basis and that no action would be taken until clearance was received regarding the server. This leaves the digital delivery of the waiver scheme dependent on the outcome of that technical review.
The municipal corporation’s next steps are to operationalise the online and offline application systems, confirm the eligibility conditions and resolve the reported server issue. The scheme is scheduled to continue until March 2027, subject to any extension announced by the civic authority.
