New Delhi: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation's Property Tax Department generated Rs 620.15 crore from over 3.85 lakh properties in the 2020-21 financial year, an increment of 1.63 per cent from last year, Standing Committee Chairman Rajdutt Gahlot said on Tuesday while presenting the revised budget estimate of 2020-21 fiscal and the budget estimate for the next fiscal year.
Significantly, SDMC had also started their door-to-door collection of property tax this year in an attempt to widen their tax net in times of the pandemic.
SDMC collected 5 per cent more revenue from parking lots in 2020-21 in comparison to 2019-20. It also started a facility to charge E-vehicles at parking lots. A total of 24 charging facilities have come up to date. Construction of a multi-level parking facility in Dwarka and other parts of the Najafgarh Zone is also planned for 2021-22.
Since the Municipal Corporation is facing a severe fund crunch by its own admission, the SDMC said that it will reserve 25 per cent of revenues generated from advertisements, FCTS coming under their jurisdiction will be used for advertisement sites, and Kiosks and ATM booths will be allowed to operate at SDMC toilet complexes to generate revenue.
The SDMC's Town Planning Department has also approved layout plans for two hospitals of the Delhi Government in the Madipur and Hastsal areas. The Corporation has also prepared a redevelopment plan for the Meherchand market and as per the DDA's direction, 29 rural villages have been notified under Section 507 of the DMC Act.
Gahlot clarified that the municipality had not passed proposals to hike property tax this year citing the financial strain on citizens due to the pandemic. Between 2020-21, the Standing Committee rejected proposals to hike property tax in residential, commercial and non-residential properties (less than 150 sqm), or to fix property tax of Category A & B residential properties to 14 per cent of their annual value and C to H residential properties to 12 per cent.
It also rejected a proposal to hike property tax in non-residential commercial properties from 15 per cent to 20 per cent, and another move to hike property tax in Category A to H non-residential properties. SDMC also retained additional rebates of 20 per cent for the payment of one-time property tax for co-operative groups/societies and 10 pc on DDA/ CGHS flats.
Speaking on COVID-19, Gahlot said that the SDMC had set up 58 COVID-19 vaccination centres and its DEMS Department had lifted nearly 3,200 metric tonnes of garbage from isolation and quarantine centres. Besides this, 2,89,086 kg of bio-medical waste was also disposed of from Containment Zones.