The Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC)-Greater is planning to rename urban development (UD) tax as property tax, and will soon send a request to the state government for approval. UD tax has the term development, which often confuses people, according to JMC-Greater officials. Over the years, several public interest litigation (PILs) have been filed in Rajasthan high court stating that since the term development is used to raise money, the corporations should carry out projects to enhance civic amenities within their jurisdiction. The money paid by citizens under UD tax is for owning a property in an urban or corporation area, claims officials. JMC-Greater deputy commissioner Naveen Bhardhwaj said that when a plot of land is transferred to residents, development tax is collected by the Jaipur development authority (JDA), and the money is utilised for generating better infrastructure in the region. He further added that UD tax is for owning property or several properties in urban areas. We are planning to send a proposal to change the name to property tax, to remove this confusion. Urban development tax was called house tax before 2007. The city's residents and market associations have often opposed this definition of the corporation. Traders claim that there is an expectation of some development projects when they pay taxes to the corporation. Jaipur Vyapar Mahasangh president Subhash Goyal said that if taxes are paid for having a property in the corporation area, we expect improvement in civic amenities in our area and have the right to ask the corporation where these taxes are being utilised. UD tax is paid once a year, in which commercial properties up to 100 sq m and residential properties up to 300 sq m are excluded. JMC-Greater and JMC-Heritage are already behind their annual target of collecting Urban development tax. Image Source Also read: Nashik Municipal Corp to bring new properties under tax Also read: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation extends property tax deadline