Ghaziabad: Mayor announces up to 42% rebate on property tax

Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation offers property tax rebates after rate hikes faced opposition. Residents can receive up to 40% relief based on property age.

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) passed several resolutions in its board meeting on Saturday, assuring property tax rebates to propery owners following recent rate hikes, officials said.

The mayor added that starting April 1, residents can get another 2% tax rebate if they deposit it online. (HT)

The corporation has faced opposition from residents, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and opposition parties since the property tax hike was announced last year. Three former councillors also moved the Allahabad High Court last year, contending that the tax had been hiked by 3-5 times.

However, the court dismissed the petition in its order on February 25, stating that the hike was “found to be fully in consonance with the statutory provisions requiring no interference by this court.”

According to officials, the GMC adopted the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act that provide a tax rebate based on a property’s age.

Mayor Sunita Dayal told HT that she would also reach out to the state government on March 12 to request a reduction in the hiked rates. “As per the resolution adopted, houses up to 10 years old will get a 10% rebate on property tax, while those constructed 10-20 years ago will get a 32.5% rebate. Houses more than 20 years old will get a 40% relief as per the provisions. However, the owners must produce required documents, such as property registries, to avail the rebate,” Dayal said.

She added that starting April 1, residents can get another 2% tax rebate if they deposit it online.

“An extra 10% rebate will be provided from April 1 to households that segregate dry and wet waste at the source. The existing 20% rebate for early-tax deposit has been extended until March 31. The board adopted these resolutions, and we will soon finalise modalities to avail the rebates in a streamlined manner,” the mayor said.

During the board meeting, councillors asked the House to provide property owners with relief. Gaurav Solanki, councillor from ward 76 of Vaishali-1, said: “The councillors asked the House to reduce the tax hike, and I also raised questions about the faulty tax calculations. The minutes of the June 30, 2025, board meeting were also sought, but they were not put up in the house. It is the councillors at ground level who are facing the ire of the residents after a substantial property tax hike.”

Solanki was among the group of councillors who staged a three-day sit-in at the corporation headquarters at Navyug Market in July 2025 against the tax hike, and also demanded the minutes of the June 30, 2025, board meeting be made public.

The board had unanimously rejected the property tax hike in its meeting on June 30 last year.

On the other hand, hundreds of Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders and workers staged a massive protest outside the corporation headquarters at Navyug Market on Saturday afternoon while the board meeting was underway.

“There is an exorbitant hike of 3-5 times in the tax, and there is no relief for the common man. The high court, in its order, stated that the state government directed the municipal commissioner to decide the tax (minimum monthly rental rates). On the other hand, the minutes of the board meeting of June 30, 2025, when the board rejected the hike, are still not made public. So, there is no intent to give relief to the common man, and the intention is revenue generation,” Faisal Hussain, the district president of the SP, told HT.