CP traders protest sealing of shops over pending tax

New Delhi: Connaught Place traders held a meeting on Thursday and protested against the New Delhi Municipal Council's drive to seal or attach properties not paying property tax dues. They claimed to have met the area MP, Bansuri Swaraj, on this matter recently and reiterated their demand for implementing the unit area method for calculating tax dues instead of the comparative rent system.
Traders from New Delhi Traders' Association asserted that they were not against the recovery of appropriate tax dues. However, the way the recovery drive is being carried out is against the provisions of the NDMC Act, they claimed. "Nowhere in the act is the sealing of shops mentioned, but the council sealed 13 properties on Wednesday and two properties on Thursday. Ideally, they can attach properties or accounts to recover dues only," said Atul Bhargava, president of the association.
"NDMC continues to serve notices to shopkeepers to pay tax as per the comparable rent system. Not just that, some shops which were submitting the property tax as per the unit area method earlier have also been issued notices to submit tax as per the comparable rent system," he added.
"We will take legal steps if nothing works out."
Two years ago, a proposal to implement the unit area method was sent to the Centre by NDMC, but no progress has been reported so far.
An official said that the matter was under consideration and modalities were being discussed, but no decision had been made so far.