Property owners in urbanised villages of Delhi will no longer need to pay property taxes. The MCD on Wednesday passed a resolution in which they also directed the Municipal Commissioner neither to collect property tax from such areas nor send any tax demand notices to residents there. The move by the BJP-ruled MCD came as a result of Finance Minister A K Walias comments two days ago condemning the MCD for sending property tax notices to villages.

On Wednesday, the MCD Standing Committee moved a motion that properties in unauthorised colonies be exempted from House Tax till their regularisation while in rural and urbanised villages, original owners or heirs of properties, who are making personal use of such units, should also be exempted from tax. The committee also moved a condemnation motion against Walia for his comments.

Standing Committee Chairman Yogender Chandolia said instead of collecting tax from villages, the MCD will prefer to widen the tax net to increase revenue. Among 35 lakh properties in Delhi, only nine lakh are paying house tax, he noted.

The Delhi government is not taking any decision over MCD resolutions on reducing the age of senior citizens from 65 years to 60 for the purpose of rebate in property tax and increasing the rebate of 30 per cent to women and physically challenged for self-occupied properties from 100 sq m to 200 sq m, the BJP leader said.