AAP on Sunday attacked the BJP over the proposal of new and certain increased taxes set to be introduced at a House meeting of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Sunday.
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are suffering from a massive economic crisis, said AAP convener Gopal Rai. In such a situation, increasing four types of taxes was “very saddening and unfortunate”, he said.
Among the taxes proposed, include a professional tax, which would be levied on professionals such as doctors, engineers, architects and others, a higher tax on unauthorised colonies, a property transfer tax, levied during purchase and sale of properties, and increase in the electricity tax, which is collected by electricity distribution companies, Gopal Rai said.
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These taxes were proposed in the Budget of the corporation earlier and had been accepted by the Standing Committee as a means of increasing the revenue of the civic bodies. These would be implemented only after the approval from the House.
Mr. Rai said that AAP councillors would raise their voice against the proposal and not allow it to pass, adding that if it was not rolled back, then party members would go door to door in protest. He also questioned the usage of funds by the civic bodies, alleging that councillors dealt in corruption and called for the release of a white paper on funds used by the civic bodies.