The Shiv Sena- BJP together proposed a new ordinance to fulfill its commitment for a full property tax waiver. This was in reaction to the Congress, cornering the State government over a promise made by the State government over the waiver of the property tax for flats in Mumbai which are below the 500 sq.ft. carpet area.
This Bill is supposed to be introduced once the Lok Sabha Elections are declared and will be presented in the monsoon session of the State Legislature, until then the tax bills for the 500 sq ft. homes can be kept in hold. The current ordinance has done away with general tax component.
The action taken in the meantime is that the BMC has stopped the issuance of fresh bills for people with homes below 500 sq ft. In the background of this, the Opposition, i.e.The Congress Party has accused the BJP of cheating the citizens, when it came to light that the ordinance of March has waived only 10% of the property tax.
There lay a confusion with reference to the tax waiver among the opposition, because of which the Congress had written to the head of the BMC, with regard to its clarification. To escape from the controversy the Sena government issued an ordinance which spoke of the waiver of property tax from homes below 500 sq.ft. However, this waiver will be only the general tax component will be waived. The BJP chief of the city has said stated that there will be full property tax waiver in the future Bills.
However, the property tax being the biggest source of revenue for the BMC, how much of it will be waived is something which has to be seen when the time comes.
Courtesy/By: Nayantara Bhattacharyya
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05 May 2019
