NEW DELHI: The Delhi Congress on Wednesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- ruled municipal corporations for proposing a hike in different taxes and introduction of the professional tax in the national capital for the first time. Addressing a press conference, Delhi Congress president Chaudhary Anil Kumar said the BJP has made the lives of the people of Delhi, who are facing a financial crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, miserable by hiking tax rates.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call to create an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-sufficient India). However, the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government have been trying their best to discourage people from starting new enterprises with their periodic tax hikes,” he said. On Monday, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) cleared the proposal for increasing taxes on rented commercial properties, transfer duty and to levy a professional tax on self-employed persons. However, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) turned down a similar recommendation on Wednesday.
“The SDMC, the richest among the three municipal corporations, is hiking taxes at its whim to nullify the PM’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. The professional tax, property transfer duty, commercial property tax, electricity tax and 30 per cent VAT on petrol and diesel have broken the back of the residents of Delhi,” he said. Delhi Congress vice-president Mudit Agarwal, former Delhi mayor Farhad Suri, and leader of the House in the SDMC Abhishek Dutt were also present at the conference. Suri said he wanted to know whether the imposition of the additional tax burden was to sustain the corruption prevailing at all levels in the civic bodies.
Ex-mayor blasts corporations
Former Delhi mayor Farhad Suri criticised the municipal corporations for not carrying out desilting
of drains, which has apparently resulted in severe waterlogging at locations last week