A range of tax hikes and new cesses were proposed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday when Commissioner Pravin Kumar Gupta presented the budget for 2015-2016.
At a special meeting of the Standing Committee, Mr. Gupta proposed a 50 per cent hike in the base unit area value for property tax assessment and an increase in one-time charges. He also proposed a congestion charge for four-wheelers entering the busy City, Sadar Paharganj and Karol Bagh zones. Also for the time, Mr. Gupta suggested a cleaning tax to be levied on residents and organisers of public events.
To improve sanitation services, the Commissioner said Rs.80 crore had been earmarked for garbage collection in four of the corporation’s six zones. Another Rs.5 crore was earmarked for the reclamation of the sanitary landfill site at Bhalswa. Under the Centre’s Swachh Bharat campaign, the corporation will set up 100-litre dustbins at a cost of Rs.1.5 crore and build 100 ‘electronic toilets’ in schools and markets at a cost of Rs.6 crore.
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North Corporation Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Goel said the budget proposal would burn a hole in the pockets of citizens. “The Commissioner has not spared anyone, from property-owners to those buying new cars. We won’t allow the BJP to burden people,” said Mr. Goel.
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Meanwhile, the North Corporation’s budget deficit will increase from Rs.770 crore in 2013-2014 to Rs.850 crore in 2014-2015. The budgetary shortfall is being met by internal borrowings, however, the Commissioner proposed “expenditure control measures”.
The budget for 2015-2016 stated that the deficit should be controlled at Rs.700 crore. For the financial year 2015-2016, the expenditure will be Rs.4,422.87 crore and income is expected to be Rs.4,404.11 crore.