BJP lying to people of Delhi by saying MCD reduced house tax, licence fees: Saurabh Bhardwaj

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj on Thursday alleged that the BJP is lying to the people of Delhi by saying MCD has reduced house tax, and several licence fees. He said they haven’t done it.

AAP’s NDMC Leader of Opposition had written to the NDMC Commissioner seeking accountability of the BJP’s claims, who in turn refuted all the claims saying nothing as such has been implemented, Bhardwaj said.

Bhardwaj said that the BJP-ruled MCD is functioning like a Khap Panchayat and is selling lies to people. He said, “BJP increased several licence fees by 17-25 times last year and is now putting up posters saying they’ve reduced them, when they have actually done nothing.”

He added that BJP had put up such posters all over Delhi before Lok Sabha elections too but made people pay the fees after elections.

Bhardwaj asked Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta why he was putting up posters to congratulate himself for reducing taxes in Delhi when “in reality the taxes have not been rolled back”.

Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “The BJP-ruled MCD is functioning like a Khap-Panchayat. There is no rule of law and order. There is no credibility in their functioning. They do whatever they feel like. In fact, they’ve become experts in getting fake news published in the media. The BJP-ruled MCD did not miss any opportunity to loot the innocent and hardworking people of Delhi. We had earlier informed how the MCD is increasing House Tax, Factory Licence Fee, General Trade Licence Fee, Health Trade Licence Fee and Food Trade Licence Fee. Taxes are being increased for rental and commercial properties too. They brought a proposal in the Standing Committee and ended up increasing the taxes.”

“The MCD hiked the Factory Licence Fees to make it almost 20 times as high as it was. In the pandemic, when everyone is rolling back such fees, they have the guts to increase it a staggering 20 times. Similarly, General Trade Licence Fees was increased by 17 to 25 times. On one hand, people are stressed about the loss of business, on the other they doubled the property tax on commercial properties. A year later, in August 2021, they got articles published saying all these fee hikes have been rolled back. They said they’ve rolled back all these licence fees, and also house tax for plots up to 50 square yards,” he added.

Bhardwaj further went ahead to show a handful of news pieces that were published on the issue.

“Throughout North Delhi, they put up boards and advertisements blowing their own trumpets, citing their move as a historic gift. Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta is congratulating himself on reducing the taxes that he only had increased a year back. They have no credibility at all. They just keep getting fake news published everywhere. AAP’s NDMC Leader of Opposition had submitted 10 questions seeking accountability for their announcements. On asking whether Factory Trade Licence Fees had been reduced, he was told that the fees hadn’t been reduced. Similarly, house tax also wasn't decreased, and neither were any other fees. All the announcements they made have been refuted on paper. That’s not it, they had put up boards all over the markets of Delhi thanking the PM for reducing Conversion Fees and Parking Fees. But once the elections were done, they made all the shopkeepers pay Conversion Fees and Parking Fees. We’re seeing the same happen now. They are misleading the people of Delhi, selling them absolute lies. The NDMC Commissioner has given in writing that no such thing that was promised by them has been implemented,” he said.