Patna: The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has provided nearly Rs 40 lakh as tax relief to 35,948 property owners who availed the early-payment incentive scheme between April 1 and May 7, 2026.Under the Bihar Municipal Property Tax Rules, 2013, the civic body is offering a 5% rebate on the principal tax amount for lump-sum payments made during the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year. The rebate facility will remain available till June 30.During the first five weeks of the scheme, the corporation collected around Rs 11 crore as property tax. According to data released by PMC, nearly 60% of taxpayers used online platforms, including the municipal portal and UPI applications, for payment.Among all zones, the Patliputra zone recorded the highest collection, generating more than Rs 3 crore from 10,264 holdings. It was followed by the Kankarbagh and Nutan Rajdhani zones.To encourage more taxpayers to clear dues before the deadline, PMC has kept its collection counters open daily from 9am to 7pm. The civic body has also launched door-to-door awareness campaigns and SMS alerts targeting major defaulters.Officials said the initiative assumes significance as collections during the same period last year stood at around Rs 13 crore from nearly 47,000 holdings, indicating a decline this year.PMC has clarified that the 5% rebate will lapse after the first quarter and no discount will be available on payments made between July and Sept.From Oct onwards, property owners failing to pay taxes will be categorised as defaulters and charged a monthly interest of 1.5% on outstanding principal tax dues.
