Thane: Thane residents are set to face financial blow after the civic general body approved a 12% hike in property tax for residential properties and 20% for non-residential properties, along with a new property transfer fee linked to the government-approved market value of authorised properties.The move, which comes barely four months after the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) presented a no-tax-hike budget for FY 2026-27, will not just impact residents staying in flats above 500 sq ft, but also impact those planning to sell their homes as the corporation will now migrate from the conventional square-foot-based calculation to levying fees at 0.5% of the government-approved market value of authorised properties.The property tax hike, the first in eight years as per the TMC claims, was tabled at Monday’s general body meeting and passed with barely any resistance by the opposition.However, a day later, BJP corporator and deputy mayor Krishna Patil claimed the proposal was passed without discussions and said the party would write to CM Devendra Fadnavis opposing the same. BJP corporator Narayan Pawar feared the hike would only increase volume of arrears and suggested to look at advertising sources instead.Despite the NCP (SP) leader of opposition, Ashraf Pathan, recommending few changes in the House to the proposal before it was okayed, party district president Manoj Pradhan on Tuesday released a statement opposing the move. Citing the Maharashtra Municipal Act, he said the corporation was bound to provide civic services to residents and collect taxes in return. “But in Thane, despite the TMC failing to provide even basics, it is now burdening citizens with a tax hike, which is unjust,” he said.The hike also drew sharp criticism from residents.“The city continues to face serious problems, from solid waste management to overflowing drains and monsoon waterlogging. The lack of proper footpaths and encroachments forces pedestrians onto roads, while illegal parking is rampant. Tax-paying citizens have every right to ask the TMC what improvements it has made to civic services,” said Sashikumar Nair, a Manpada resident.A Kasarvadavali resident questioned, “We haven’t received adequate water since last 10 years compared to our requirement. Last few days, we had to pay extra for tanker water. Why should residents pay extra property tax when all that we are getting is poor roads, lack of public toilets and footpaths, and poor general maintenance continue?”Meanwhile, with the proposal okayed, the TMC administration now expects to earn additional ₹104.67 crore — ₹63.07 crore from residential and ₹41.6 crore from non-residential properties. TMC currently expects to collect around ₹768.42 crore annually in property tax, while its 2026–27 budget targets ₹1,600 crore, leaving a gap of ₹831.58 crore between expected collections and the budget target which is still unlikely to be bridged despite the hike.Shiv Sena corporator and leader of House Hanmant Jagdale justified the hike saying it was implemented after a very long time and was crucial for the corporation to bail itself out from the current financial crunch. “Higher revenues would allow the corporation to undertake more development work,” he said.
