Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena alliance of fooling people by promising them to waive property tax on homes up to 500 sq.ft., Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora on Wednesday appealed to residents of such houses not to pay property tax bills sent by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The Congress said the waiver applied only to the general tax component, which ranges from 10 to 30% of the total tax structure.
Mr. Deora, the party’s candidate for Mumbai South, said at a press conference, “We appeal to citizens who live in houses up to 500 sq.ft. not to pay property tax if 100% of the amount is not waived. The Congress is with you. We have started this civil disobedience movement.”
“In January 2017, the manifestos of the Sena and BJP for the municipal elections in Mumbai promised exemption from property tax for homes up to 500 sq.ft. carpet area. In February 2019, at a joint press conference to announce their alliance in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah, the BJP-Sena asserted that one of the key agreements for the pre-poll alliance was no property tax for all homes up to 500 sq.ft. in Mumbai and Thane,” Mr. Deora said.
On March 8, the State Cabinet approved an amendment to Section 140 C of the BMC Rules, 1888, and two days later, the Maharashtra Ordinance No. XI of 2019 was issued.
“The ordinance is a farce. It shows only general tax component of the overall property tax structure will be waived in reality. In the proposal forwarded by the BMC to the State, the former was to waive property tax. But in the Government Rules (GR) passed on March 8, only Section 140 (C) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act is amended, wherein just the general tax component — which varies from 10-30% of total tax structure — has been exempted,” Mr. Deora said.
Ravi Raja, the leader of Opposition in the BMC, said residents would still have to pay the other nine levies, including water tax, sewage tax and education cess.
Mr. Deora said, “I also appeal to BJP and Shiv Sena members living in houses less than 500 sq.ft. in area to not pay their property tax.”