Ahead of BMC Polls, Shinde-led Maha Govt Defers Property Tax Hike for One More Year

Ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that the impending hike in property tax for the capital city Mumbai has been deferred for one more year.

Citing reasons for the deferment, he said in the assembly that he got representations from several MLAs asking that the hike should not be implemented this year as it would come to 16-20 per cent.

The CM also announced changes to the 2006 policy to regularise illegal buildings in Ulhasnagar. “The panel has also suggested that the deadline for regularisation should be 31.12.2021 from January 1, 2005, earlier. Reduction of premium and allowing of additional FSI will ensure the policy takes off,” the CM said.

Apart from deliberating on the property tax issue, Shinde also supported the Metro 3 car shed at Aarey, saying it was the site’s least environmentally damaging,  a report by TOI stated.

“Aarey is spread over 1,245 hectares and only 25 hectares is required for the shed. The car shed is not the only thing that has come up in Aarey; land has been given to Film City, to the agriculture department, and to MIDC. We will ensure the mass transit project is completed speedily to give people relief from traffic congestion,” Shinde said. He slammed the opposition which asked why trees were cut in Aarey at night. “Permission to cut trees was given by BMC,” he said.

He further announced recruitment for 75,000 posts by the state. He said police personnel will be given ownership of flats in the BDD Chawl redevelopment project at a cost of Rs 15 lakh.

The property tax is revised every five years, but the revision was delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic, and it was due for revision.

Property tax collection by the BMC for the 2021-22 financial year rose by almost 10 per cent over the previous fiscal. Last time, owing to the pandemic, the BMC was able to collect Rs 5,090 crore as property tax till the end of the financial year which this time it hoped to surpass with the Covid situation in the city coming under control.

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