Congress & Shiv Sena at loggerheads over property tax waiver promise

Retaliating to criticism by Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora, BJP city unit president Ashish Shelar on Thursday stated that houses upto 500 square feet of area would not be charged with property tax during this fiscal and when the new bills are issued in coming year.Shiv Sena had announced waiving property tax to houses upto 500 square feet area, and Deora had criticised them for their hollow announcement and said that they never implement what they had promised. Deora is contesting against Arvind Savant who is sitting Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency.Addressing a press conference on Thursday evening at BJP state unit headquarters at Nariman Point, Shelar said that by saying that only 11 per cent property tax has been waived, Congress leadership has exhibited ignorance on this issue. He said that general tax is the biggest sub-tax under the property tax and it is levied on the basis of weather the building has water connection or not. Shelar said that the buildings having water connection have this tax going up to even 31 per cent and those without water connection have 11 per cent tax. Without knowing this, if Congress is saying that water tax is lowered to 11 per cent is nothing but exhibition of ignorance.Shelar told that the Congress MLAs had opposed in state assembly during the discussion on waiving property tax and Deora should explain it to people of Mumbai. Shelar pointed out that in coming year as per the government Ordinance various sub-taxes including water tax, sewerage tax, Municipal Education cess, tree cess, emoployment guarantee cess are going to be done away with. He made it clear that after issuance of ordinance procedure for amendment in law is already in process and it would be implemented in coming year.