GHAZIABAD: After receiving assurances from the municipal commissioner, councillors have ended their sit-in protest concerning property tax issues. According to a GMC official, the problematic auto-generated property tax bills, which have been issued at inflated rates, will be halted. Furthermore, a 20% rebate on property tax will be available to consumers until September 30.
The current conflict arose from the GMC officials’ previous refusal to share the minutes of the June 30 board meeting, which were a point of contention. Councillor Neeraj Goyal mentioned, “In light of the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, we decided to call off the protest. The municipal commissioner assured us that the minutes from the June 30 board meeting will be presented to the Mayor on July 25.”
A case against the GMC’s decision to raise property tax was filed in the Allahabad High Court on May 22. While the board has since reversed the proposal, the legal matter remains pending. The increased property tax took effect on April 1. Prior to this date, rates ranged from Rs 0.32/sq foot for properties with less than 12 meters of road width, Rs 0.48 to Rs 2 for roads 12–24 meters wide, and Rs 0.65 to Rs 2.41 for wider roads. The newly adjusted rates now vary between Rs 0.75/sq foot to Rs 4/sq foot.
Earlier this year, in March, the board approved a measure to link property tax to the DM circle rate, with the GMC determining tax based on the annual rental value (ARV) of properties.
