Taking the side of citizens, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress are making a hue and cry over the proposed 16 per cent property tax hike in Mumbai from the next financial year. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has, meanwhile, decided to set up an expert committee to examine the entire issue before arriving at any conclusion.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson and former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said, “They have been asking us what we did in the past 25 years. We have done ample things. Just talk about the property tax. We ensured that all those residing in flats with an area of less than 500 sq ft do not have to pay property tax. Besides this, we also opposed the water tariff hike. It has been just one year since we’ve been out of power. What need has arisen to raise the property tax by a whopping 16 per cent?”