BCD Writes to LG Against Levy of Professional Tax on Lawyers, Charge Of Property Tax On Offices At Higher Rate As ‘Business Buildings’

The Bar Council of Delhi has approached the NCT’s Lieutenant Governor, raising the concern that the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has proposed to levy professional tax on lawyers, besides other self-employed professionals such as doctors, architects, chartered accountants. The proposal having been referred to the LG for approval, “the legal community in Delhi” has voiced its ‘strong objection’ to the move, seeking to ‘lodge its protest’ against the levy of professional tax on lawyers. “There appears to be some bias and malice against the lawyers, since even in the past, the municipal corporations in Delhi have made feeble attempts to impose professional tax on the lawyers and other professionals”, reads the communication. The BCD has “highly condemned” and “conveyed its acceptability” to such a repeated attempt over-and-over again despite having been proposed and dropped in the past.