GHAZIABAD: On Friday, councillors of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) organized a sit-in protest at the head office in Navyug Market due to increased property tax notices sent to residents, despite the board’s decision to repeal the proposal. The revised property tax rate took effect on April 1.
GMC officials stated that the notice issuance is “system-generated.” They assured that any payments made concerning the increased tax would be adjusted to reflect the previous tax slabs. However, this explanation did not satisfy the protesters.
Councillor Manoj Goyal remarked, “The GMC board’s meeting on June 30 unanimously decided to revert to the pre-April property tax rates. The board’s proposal indicated that the GMC would neither collect the increased property tax nor issue notices to residents. However, notices continue to be sent out, which contravenes the municipal act.”
The protesters have repeatedly sought documentation of the board meeting from officials on three separate occasions, each time without success.
Councillor Neeraj Goyal insisted, “As a matter of procedure, we are entitled to the minutes of the meeting. We need to verify whether the board’s resolution is being followed. There seems to be an issue, as officials are unwilling to provide these details. Every mayor has advised residents against paying the inflated property tax rates, yet notices are still being distributed, undermining the authority of elected officials.”
Meanwhile, GMC officials mentioned another complication—there is an ongoing court case in the Allahabad High Court concerning the increased property tax, with a decision still pending. “We await the court’s ruling before we can update the system-generated billing to reflect the previous tax rates,” a GMC official explained.
Prior to April 1, property tax rates varied from Rs 0.32 per square foot for properties with road widths less than 12 meters, Rs 0.48 to Rs 2 for roads between 12–24 meters, and Rs 0.65 to Rs 2.41 for roads wider than 24 meters. The revised rates are set between Rs 0.75 and Rs 4 per square foot. In March, the board approved a proposal to link property tax to the District Magistrate’s circle rate. The GMC calculates tax based on the Annual Rental Value (ARV) of properties.
