BENGALURU: With only 30 days left for the end of the financial year, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has collected just around 60 per cent of the property tax target. Of the set target of Rs 6,700crore for 2025-2026, GBA has collected only Rs 3,926crore.
Compared to the same time last year, the civic body had collected Rs 4,537 crore. With the deadline fast approaching, each of the five corporations has been assigned weekly targets to mop up taxes.
Among the five corporations, Bengaluru East City Corporation (BECC) has the highest target with Rs 1,673 crore, but BECC has managed to collect only Rs 1,017crore as of February 21, according to available data.
“To meet the target, BECC has been given a target to collect over Rs 100 crore every week before March 31,” said a GBA official. He said only BECC’s property tax collection has crossed Rs 1,000 crore, while the remaining four are nowhere near it. This is despite the GBA resorting to auctioning properties in the city to recover long-pending tax dues.
Bengaluru North City Corporation’s (BNCC) target is Rs 1,242 crore, and it has collected Rs 656 crore. Bengaluru Central City Corporation’s target is Rs 1,273 crore, while collection is Rs 729 crore. Bengaluru South City Corporation has collected Rs 755 crore of its total target of Rs 1,228 crore, and Bengaluru West City Corporation has collected Rs 768 crore of its target of Rs 1,281 crore, the data revealed.
The official said that usually, property tax collection picks up pace in February and March as the deadline nears, to avoid penalties. “In 2023-2024, under the erstwhile BBMP, Rs 3,918crore was collected. In 2024-2025, the total property tax collection was Rs 4,930crore, which set a new record. We are hoping collection will see a jump in March,” the official said.
Due to the fear of losing their properties to auction, property owners will rush to clear their dues, the official said. Responding to criticism that GBA is targeting only small property owners by auctioning their properties, the official said that irrespective of property size and value, all defaulters have to cough up dues, else they will lose their properties through auction.