The Maharashtra government has introduced a bill to amend the Maharashtra Stamps Act, 1958, aiming to increase revenue by revising stamp duty charges on certain documents. The proposal follows Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar’s Budget 2025-26, where he outlined plans to mobilize additional funds through changes in taxation policies.
Key Amendments in the Bill
The bill was presented in the state Assembly on Tuesday evening by Minister of State Yogesh Kadam. It proposes several key changes to the Maharashtra Stamps Act:
- Increase in Stamp Duty on Supplementary Documents
- Section 4 of the Act will be amended to increase the stamp duty rate for supplementary documents.
- Currently, the stamp duty is fixed at Rs 100, which will now be increased to Rs 500 for transactions involving multiple documents.
- Introduction of Online Stamp Duty Payment and e-Stamp Certificate
- Sections 10 and 10D will be revised to allow online payment (e-payment) of stamp duty.
- A new provision for an “e-stamp certificate” will be introduced, enabling citizens to pay stamp duty online from anywhere, at any time through the State Government Treasury.
- Increase in Adjudication Fee
- Section 31(1) will be amended to increase the adjudication fee from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000.
- This fee applies when seeking the Collector’s opinion on the chargeability of an instrument.
- The amendment also mandates depositing a specified amount of stamp duty while filing an application for adjudication of an executed document.
Budget Highlights and Revenue Mobilization
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar presented the Rs 7 lakh crore budget for 2025-26, projecting:
- Revenue Deficit: Rs 45,891 crore
- Fiscal Deficit: Rs 1.36 lakh crore
- Total Debt Stock: Rs 9.32 lakh crore
He estimated the state’s own tax revenue at Rs 3.87 lakh crore for 2025-26, compared to the revised estimate of Rs 3.67 lakh crore in 2024-25.
Given the GST regime’s limitations on imposing new taxes, Pawar hopes to generate an additional Rs 1,200 crore by revising stamp duty and Motor Vehicle Tax.
The proposed amendments to the Maharashtra Stamps Act are a step towards streamlining tax collection, making payments more accessible through digital platforms, and ensuring increased revenue for the state.
