AAP slams BJP over hike in taxes in Delhi

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) for introducing

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) for introducing a new ‘professional tax’ and increasing the rates of property taxes and property transfer.

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The ruling party in Delhi threatened to take to the streets to protest the SDMC’s decision, which it called “inhuman” at a time when the Covid crisis continued to adversely affect the people.

Addressing a digital press conference, senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak and Sangam Vihar MLA Dinesh Mohaniya said SDMC went ahead with the ‘triple tax burden’ despite Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta assuring on Sunday that no taxes would be increased.

“The SDMC’s decision to impose three new taxes today is a price people will pay for the corruption of BJP councillors. Yesterday we opposed the BJP-ruled SDMC’s decision to hike taxes. The BJP wanted to increase professional tax, tax of residents of unauthorised colonies, property transfer tax and electricity tax. After strong opposition from AAP, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta intervened and tweeted he had spoken to the SDMC mayor and requested him to withdraw the tax hike proposals. But unfortunately, today, the tax proposals were accepted. This means now the people of South Delhi will have to pay extra tax to SDMC,” Pathak said.

Anamika Mithilesh, SDMC mayor, said the professional tax slabs and 1% increase in transfer duty had been designed in a manner that it would not cost trouble the public. “We have taken these initiatives to increase our revenue so that we can pay our employees and serve better. Due to the pandemic, our financial condition has worsened and we are unable to pay our employees. AAP believes in blame-game politics. If AAP is so concerned about taxes, they should ask their government to clear our dues so that the corporations can function properly,” she said.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta did not reply to the calls and text message sent to him for comment on the matter.

Mohaniya said when the BJP came up with the tax proposal, the Congress supported the decision inside the house whereas AAP immediately staged a walkout.

In response, the Congress called AAP a ‘B-Team of the BJP’. Abhishek Dutt, vice-president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee said, “AAP is the B-team of the BJP. The AAP councillors walked out because they knew it very well that by walking out, the agenda will be passed. In fact, the Congress’ councillors stood in the House till the very end and objected to all agenda points.”

Pathak said the civic agency’s allegation that it had not yet received its dues from the Delhi government was a lie. “During the Congress government in 2013-14 under Sheila Dikshit, MCD used to get Rs 3,345 crore from the Delhi government. But under the AAP government from 2017-18, the MCDs got Rs 4,667 crore. This is Rs 1,322 crore more. Even CAG observed that the AAP government had given Rs 3,815 crore extra loan to MCDs. The BJP used all this money for their corruption. We all know that if anybody wants to build a house in Delhi, then he or she needs to pay from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh to the local councillor of the BJP,” he said.

On the contrary, Pathak said, the AAP government had not increased a single tax in the last six years but still managed to double its budget.