After uproar over property tax hike, MCD to roll back waste collection fee

The Mayor announced a House Tax Amnesty Scheme, where residents only need to pay property tax for the last five years, with no interest or penalties, and will receive an NOC (No Objection Certificate) upon payment.

The user charges were based on the central government’s Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2017, which were enforced through three separate gazette notifications — one for each erstwhile municipal corporation — and published by the Delhi government on January 15, 2018. Even as the notification had been approved, the MCD had not collected the fee in the last seven years.

While the AAP had brought these user charges to light by accusing the BJP of imposing them, the BJP had pointed fingers at the AAP — which was at the helm of the MCD at the time — for the imposition of the new tax.

“The user charge was imposed by the AAP without any consultation, which is the main reason for the opposition,” Sachdeva said. He added that many citizens, especially in low-income colonies, are struggling to pay their outstanding property taxes.

In response, AAP’s Delhi convenor Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the MCD Commissioner of imposing these charges at the BJP’s behest, “The AAP government in the MCD passed a proposal to waive house tax… it was waived for 100 sq yd properties and halved up to 500 sq yd. But the Centre-appointed Commissioner didn’t implement it; he instead imposed user charges.”

AAP’s Leader of Opposition Ankush Narang said, “Even today, most households pay private collectors to get their garbage lifted. With no proper collection system in place, on what basis were these user charges being collected?”