Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) – Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has strongly criticized the BJP-led government over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) recent budget proposal, accusing it of exploiting Mumbai's residents. Thackeray's remarks came after the BMC unveiled a massive Rs 74,427.41 crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, marking the civic body's largest-ever budget.
While the BMC assured that there would be no hikes in property or water taxes, it proposed a controversial new measure: property tax on commercial establishments operating within slum areas. The move is expected to generate an additional Rs 350 crore in revenue, starting from FY 2025-26.
Thackeray, addressing a press conference on Tuesday, lashed out at the BJP government for imposing this new tax while failing to address the city's ongoing infrastructure challenges. "Mumbaikars are suffering from dug-up roads, non-functional BEST buses, and contaminated water, yet the BJP government has no answers to these issues," he stated.
Highlighting the financial burden on Mumbai’s residents, Thackeray pointed out that the BMC's liabilities had swelled to a staggering Rs 2.5 lakh crore over the past two years. "The BJP is exploiting Mumbai. It’s shocking that the BMC is now proposing a property tax on small shops in slums," Thackeray said.
The former minister also reminded the public of Shiv Sena's tenure in control of the BMC, when the party had waived property taxes for residences up to 500 square feet in size. He warned that the BJP-led administration's decision to tax slum-area shops might set the stage for a broader taxation on slums in the future.
In a further criticism, Thackeray pointed out that people waiting for homes under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) are now being subjected to taxes, despite not yet receiving proper housing.
Thackeray also voiced strong opposition to the new solid waste management user charges, stating that until 2017, the BMC had been collecting waste from 10,000 metric tonnes. "Now, with the new user fee, we are seeing increased charges for a service that was once free," he said, vowing to take to the streets if the policy is not rolled back.
In addition to these grievances, Thackeray accused the BMC of corruption in the city's road concretization projects. He quoted the BMC Commissioner, who admitted that only 26% of Mumbai’s roads had been concretized, despite claims of significant progress.
As Mumbai grapples with these new fiscal measures, Thackeray’s statements signal an impending showdown between the city's political factions, with tensions rising over the future of municipal governance and taxation in the financial capital.
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