PMC Deducting Professional Tax From Female Employees Despite State Exemption, Activist Demands Refund

The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Education Department has been deducting professional tax (PT) from the salaries of female employees earning less than Rs25,000 per month, despite a state government order exempting them from this tax. The exemption was announced in the 2023 state budget by then finance minister Devendra Fadnavis and a government order (GR) was issued on Apr 6, 2023. However, the PMC’s Education Department has not implemented the order, causing financial distress to the affected employees.

Under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, 66 employees work in the PMC, including 25 special teachers. Among them, 21 are women, and three of them are disabled. While disabled female employees are exempted from the tax, others continue to face a 10% deduction every month, despite earning less than Rs25,000.

Professional tax exemption limit

Previously, the professional tax exemption limit was Rs10,000 per month, which was raised to Rs25,000 in 2023. However, PMC has not implemented this update, while the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has followed the state’s directive and does not deduct professional tax from eligible female employees.

The Primary Education Officer of PMC, Sunanda Wakhare, and the Samagra Shiksha Project Officer, Manorama Aware, have not provided any explanation for the delay in implementing the exemption. The Additional Commissioner of PMC, Prithviraj BP, said, “The corporation will seek clarification and implement the exemption immediately.”

Meanwhile, Vivek Velankar, an activist has demanded action against the responsible officers and urged the corporation to refund the wrongly deducted tax to the affected women employees. He highlighted that government orders must be taken seriously and implemented without delay to prevent further financial losses.