AAP volunteers protest outside BJP office against SDMC’s professional tax move

New Delhi: Over 100 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers on Wednesday joined a protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office against the South Delhi Municipal

New Delhi: Over 100 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers on Wednesday joined a protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office against the South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s (SDMC) decision to levy a professional tax on self-employed persons, hike property transfer taxes, and nearly double taxes on rented commercial properties.

HT Image

All three municipal corporations in Delhi are ruled by the BJP.

The SDMC House on Monday had passed a proposal to levy a professional tax on self-employed persons and professionals working in companies — a first in Delhi — and doubled the tax on rented commercial properties. The civic body also approved a 1% hike in tax on transfer of property, with an aim to ramp up revenue collection, which was affected by the national lockdown to contain spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

“The volunteers and leaders of AAP will continue opposing this decision at every level. AAP will fight against this decision inside the SDMC House and also on the streets. AAP has promised to the people of Delhi that it will force the BJP to withdraw this decision,” said Durgesh Pathak, member of the political affairs committee and in charge of MCD affairs of the AAP.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta on Wednesday said, “I have urged the SDMC mayor to roll back the professional tax. We will not let the corporations take the professional tax. North corporation has already deferred the move. We did not approve increase in the electricity tax. The corporations are in bad financial shape because the state government is not giving the corporation their due funds. The government should help the civic bodies in these testing times and should not do politics on the matter.”