The collection of the house tax has become a matter of contention between the residents of the area and the corporation.
Escalating from societies to the corridors of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC), the tension between the residents of Raj Nagar Extension and GMC regarding collection of house tax has now reached the doorstep of Ministry of Urban Development, Uttar Pradesh. The residents of the area have written a letter to the UP Urban Development Minister Suresh Khanna and demanded his attention towards this dispute.
In the letter, the residents complained that GMC is forcing tax in a retrospective manner with penalty on residents if they delay in making the payment. They further said that the corporation is imposing house tax on them without providing any basic amenities.
The collection of the house tax has become a matter of contention between the residents of the area and the corporation. For the last few weeks, the corporation is collecting tax from the high-rises of the area. While the area is still under the jurisdiction of Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDC), the residents are trying to find the rationale behind this decision of GMC.
Besides, the residents also raised the matter of depleting ground water in the area and blamed civic authorities for this. This is happening because the civic authorities have not made provisions for water pipeline in the locality, thus, residents are forced to use ground water. Whenever we approach civic authorities, GMC and GDA, to resolve this matter, they put the blame on the other. “GMC states that the area is not handed over to them by the GDA. Then on what basis, GMC is levying tax on us,” the residents asked in the letter.
On Monday, the Federation of Apartments Owner’s Association Raj Nagar Extension (FedAOARNE) met with the officials of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation and submitted a memorandum letter questioning the veracity of the tax collection.
The federation asked whether the tax is being levied in a retrospective manner. It also asked if the amount collected from the tax till date is spent on any development or maintenance work in the area.
