North MCD waives house tax on homes up to 50 sqm

New Delhi: Ahead of the 2022 municipal corporation polls in Delhi, the North MCD has now passed a proposal in its house approving the waiver of house tax for homes up to 50 square metres. Former North Delhi mayor Jai Prakash has said that there are around 3 lakh homeowners in this bracket and this policy is set to benefit them all.

Significantly, Prakash was the one to propose this waiver.

Leader of the House in the North MCD, Chhail Bihari Goswami this waiver will apply equally across the board for homes up to 50 square metres, in approved colonies, rural areas and also unauthorised colonies.

However, according to the policy, this will be applicable to homeowners who are themselves living in their homes and have not rented it out to tenants. Moreover, the waiver will be given only to those homes, in which one family is staying.

An official from the municipal corporation has said that a notification in this regard will be issued soon and that the waivers will start kicking in before the next financial year. He also added that homes in this category in unauthorised colonies anyway do not pay property taxes.

Officials said that the scheme was targetted towards helping economically weaker sections, who have been hit the hardest by the ongoing pandemic.

Moreover, the civic body has also approved a proposal to waive property tax pending for past years on all commercial properties in all unauthorised colonies in its jurisdiction

Officials added that the property tax needs to be paid only for the previous and the current fiscal years.

In addition, an earlier hike of the property tax rates as recommended by the Municipal Evaluation Committee-III has also been withdrawn.

Officials said that this will apply to all commercial properties under its jurisdiction and they will have to pay only as per the previous rates, adding that the move was triggered by the blow businesses have had to suffer in the pandemic.