GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation reported a collection of ₹305 crore in property tax for the fiscal year 2025-26, falling short by ₹35 crore compared to the previous year. This discrepancy has left over 100,000 residents unclear about their tax liabilities due to a dispute regarding a rate increase.
A revised tax structure was implemented on April 1 of the previous year, intending to synchronize property tax rates with the district magistrate’s circle rate. As a result, the maximum property tax increased to ₹4 per square foot, up from ₹2.4, while the minimum slightly decreased from ₹1.6 to ₹1.3 per square foot.
The corporation has approximately 500,000 registered consumers. Officials report that more than 100,000 have yet to pay, largely due to public contradictions between the mayor and municipal administration regarding the application of the increased rate. Mayor Sunita Dayal recently encouraged residents not to pay the new rate, while Municipal Commissioner Vikramaditya Singh Malik insisted that the hike remains in effect. Both have sought intervention from state government officials in recent weeks to support their positions.
Ghaziabad Sadar MLA Sanjeev Sharma stated that the issue has reached the Chief Minister’s Office. “A consensus is being pursued, and we anticipate clear guidance from the state government within two weeks,” he added.
In the meantime, the corporation’s online payment portal will be unavailable until April 15 for its annual updates. However, GMC officials are optimistic about recovering ₹100 crore from defaulters once the portal reopens, imposing a 12% penalty on any outstanding dues calculated at the approved increased rate.
This fiscal year, of the ₹305 crore collected across five zones, Vasundhara topped with ₹133 crore. Mohan Nagar and Kavinagar contributed ₹52 crore each, city zone added ₹40 crore, and Vijay Nagar accounted for ₹16 crore. Indirapuram, previously part of Vasundhara but now a separate zone, generated the remaining ₹10.4 crore.
