BENGALURU: Due to mounting public pressure and the state government seeking details from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on hefty penalties imposed on citizens for discrepancies in property tax, the Palike is assessing each case carefully.
Staffers in the head office are collecting details of the cases and penalty imposed, while also checking the financial modalities and repercussions if the amount is returned or adjusted in future financial cycles.
According to BBMP officials, of the 78,500 such cases to whom notices were served, stern action warning was issued to 20,000 property holders. “There might be more such cases, but the information is currently not available on the portal. We are seeking details from zonal offices and revenue officers,” said another official from the revenue department.
The official pointed out that the head office received only 28 complaints, of which 10 are being examined at the moment. The officials said that though the tax amount can be adjusted, the arrears will still have to be paid. BBMP also slapped show cause notices on property owners demanding that they pay the arrears.
“We are examining whether the calculation has gone wrong from our side. These 78,500 people have to pay taxes and arrears, which are pending since 2016-17, when the new zonal classification was done. We are also checking what happened in the self-assessment scheme payment and how the calculations were done,” said the official, and added that since the matter has caught the attention of ministers, the issue is being looked at from all angles.
The BBMP collected Rs 169 crore in the form of property tax this year and plans to collect Rs 130 crore more from penalties and Rs 250 crore from arrears.