EDMC rejects plan to hike property tax

With an eye on municipal polls next year, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation ( EDMC) has rejected recommendations of the Third Municipal Valuation Committee, which if implemented would have increased the existing property tax rate. Most interestingly, to score political brownie points, both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress joined hands for the purpose. A resolution rejecting the recommendation was proposed by the BJP’s Mahender Kumar Ahuja and seconded by Leader of Opposition Varyam Kaur.

As per the Third Municipal Valuation Committee report had changed a majority of categories and factors deciding property tax of industrial and commercial areas, which would have raised the property tax rates by a big margin, if implemented. On Monday, the EDMC standing committee, a key decision- making body, rejected the recommendations.

The resolution moved on Tuesday blamed the Delhi government for not providing funds as per the recommendations of the Third Delhi Finance Commission and. “To implement the recommendations of the MVC, the Delhi government put pressure on the EDMC by sending five letters, which is against the public interest,” said the resolution.

“Taking a practical viewpoint and considering the strong opposition of the local residents, the EDMC unanimously decided to reject the recommendations of the Third MVC,” EDMC mayor Satya Sharma said. Leader of Opposition Varyam Kaur said the Congress is against putting any additional burden on people. “Both the AAP and the BJP are antipeople. The Congress is against the imposition of any additional tax liabilities on people. Earlier, the ruling passed the recommendation, and now they are backtracking from it to fool people. The recommendations of the Third MVC will put additional property tax liabilities on commercial properties,” added Mrs Kaur.

Defending its earlier move to pass the MVC recommendations, the BJP claimed that it was done under the pressure of the AAP- led Delhi government. “During the sanitation workers’ strike, the Delhi government put pressure on the civic body to implement the MVC recommendations,” standing committee chairman Jitendra Choudhary said.