House tax can be waived by MCD: Manish Sisodia

NEW DELHI: Attacking the BJP, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, if MCD can waive house tax for VIPs it can do so for common as well.

Sisodia alleged that last year, the North MCD changed norms to forgo house tax for a property belonging to Union Minister and BJP leader Vijay Goel.

The AAP had then alleged the decision was taken to benefit the heritage building Geol owned in Old Delhi, but similar concessions were extended to 749 other buildings in the area which will result in losses to the tune of around Rs 2,500 crore.

Goel had termed the allegations baseless.

Sisodia said the Congress and the BJP are misleading people that the tax can only be abolished by Parliament.

"Last year on August 24, the BJP Mayor of North MCD waived the residential house tax of a haveli owned by Union Minister Vijay Goel. This was done under Rule 177 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act (1957), which allows the Municipal bodies to waive any tax that the MCD decide does not need to be levied.

"If this rule can be used to provide direct benefit to Union Ministers of the BJP, then why can this rule not be applied to provide benefit to common citizens? This hypocrisy of the BJP is against the interests of the people," Sisodia said.

He said the promise to abolish house tax has been made after a serious thought and study and the MCDs will not face paucity of funds if AAP comes to power.

"The precedent for waiver of House Tax has been set by the BJP-run MCDs by granting this benefit to VIPs like Union Minister Vijay Goel. If the law allows for such waivers without needing Parliament's approval, then the same law can be used to waive House Tax for all of Delhi," Sisodia said.