New Delhi, Feb 10 (PTI) The proposal made in South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s annual budget to increase property tax levied on residential and commercial properties has been rejected by the Leader of House who finalised it on Thursday, officials said.
The move comes ahead of the civic polls in Delhi due in April. Recently, the EDMC too had rejected a hike in property tax, which was proposed in its budget in November.
Leader of House in the BJP-led SDMC, Inderjeet Sehrawat on Thursday finalised the SDMC Budget after making several proposals, including “increasing the budget for moral education from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 25 lakh” in SDMC schools.
The Leader of House has not accepted the proposal to hike property tax, the SDMC said in a statement.
Seeking to augment its revenue, SDMC Commissioner Gyanesh Bharati on November 23 had proposed to increase property tax levied on residential and commercial properties, and reduce the number of rate slabs from three to two.
The budget had proposed increase in property tax as follows: 14 per cent tax in for residential properties in A-E category and 12 per cent in F-H category. Currently, 12 per cent tax is charged in A-B category, 11 per cent in C-E category and seven per cent in F-H category. Similarly, it was proposed for commercial properties as well.
The SDMC in its statement on Friday also said that as per the final budget, “partial recommendations of MVC-III (Municipal Valuation Committee-III) should not be implemented under Section 177 of DMC Act”.
Also, the last date for availing the amensty scheme for payment of property tax with 100 per cent waiver of both interest and penalty, to March 31, it said.
The last date earlier was January 31.
Leader of House also proposed to start special yoga centres at SDMC parks for citizens. Initially, one yoga centre will be started in each ward. SDMC has 104 wards in total.
A number of discussions were held since the budget was first presented late November, and suggestions made accordingly, before being finalised by the Leader of House.
During the discussion, he also proposed that no fee shall be charged for SDMC officials, its employees and their families for entering ‘Waste To Wonder’ Park and Bharat Darshan Park.
Proposal was also made to set up blood pressure and sugar level testing machines at least at two locations in each ward for needy patients so that they could avail free-of-cost testing facilities.
The Leader of House also proposed to give bicycles to class 4 students, and said bicycles will be given to top 10 students (five boys and five girls), based on their academic performance in class 3.
The SDMC commissioner while presenting revised budget estimates for 2021-22 and budget estimates for 2022-23, also had said that to mark the occasion of 75th year of India’s Independence, ‘Shaheedi Park’ and Bollywood Park’ were to be developed on the lines of the ‘Bharat Darshan Park’. PTI KND CK
