Ghalibaf: People of Tehran Owe 45 Trillion Tomans to the Municipality

Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, stated that the residents of the city owe a total of 45 trillion tomans to the municipality. According to a report by 'Young Journalists Club', Ghalibaf made this announcement on Tuesday, August 5, during a public session of the Tehran City Council. He mentioned that based on documents, the municipality is owed 1.6 trillion tomans from the people, which, when combined with 'fees' cases, amounts to 45 trillion tomans. Ghalibaf added that some residential properties in Tehran are being used for commercial purposes, and there are 1,800 locations in the city's dilapidated areas that have a 'zero' construction permit. He emphasized that 'people should know we do not have unreasonable debts and we act according to the law.' In another part of his report, the mayor discussed the performance of his administration and stated that the city's assets have currently increased by two and a half times. Meanwhile, the head of the Architecture and Urban Planning Commission of the City Council reacted to Ghalibaf's remarks regarding the municipality's debts, stating that 'Ghalibaf's comments were more political and did not provide clear answers to any of the questions and doubts raised by council members.' Mohammad Salari, in an interview with Tasnim News Agency, identified one of the main ambiguities in Ghalibaf's statements as related to the government's debts to the municipality, stating: 'According to what the Planning and Budget Commission has announced, the current government debt is about 2 to 3 trillion tomans, and there are doubts about the figure of 14 trillion tomans.' He added: 'This is while the Minister of Economy has also stated that he is owed about 3.9 trillion tomans from the Tehran municipality, and these issues need to be clarified for public understanding.' On June 6 of this year, Ghodrat Goudarzi, the Deputy of Financial and Urban Economics of the Tehran Municipality, announced that the municipality's claim against the government is 14 trillion tomans, which has not been paid since 2008. The debts of the people and the government to the Tehran municipality have been one of the controversial issues in recent years, sometimes leading to clashes and the sealing of some government buildings. Municipality officials have sealed several government buildings and evacuated some residential and public spaces to collect these debts. Meanwhile, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf stated in the City Council that since some residents in dilapidated areas cannot afford to pay their debts, he has instructed municipal organizations not to be strict in this regard.