The Deccan Chronicle 02.11.2010
Pay in time or cough up penaltyNov. 1: With November 30 being the last day for payment of the second instalment of the property tax without penalty, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is doing all it can to increase the collection by bringing unassessed properties under the tax net.
It has conducted a manual survey to identify defaulters and nail wrong declarations and has warned people that if they pay property tax after the November deadline, they will have to cough up a 2 per cent penalty for every month they delay.
But despite all this, it has collected just over 50 per cent of the property tax due so far, with Rs 815 crore in its kitty as against the target of Rs 1,500 crore, according to BBMP revenue officials.
Notices are being issued to defaulters and steps will be taken to seize their movable properties if they dont pay up , says BBMP deputy commissioner (revenue) D. L. Chandrashekar, explaining that under section 112-A of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act, 1976, the tax is payable either by the owner or the occupier.
“If the property tax is not paid by the owner or by the occupier, the Act provides for attaching movable properties.
So action will be initiated to recover the tax by imposing penalties and seizing the movable properties as provided for under the law,” he adds. BBMP’s efforts to threaten property owners into paying up has, however, not been very successful until now. Although mayor S. K. Nataraj had warned that tax evaders would not receive power and water supply, they continue to enjoy both, leaving a cash strapped BBMP looking for additional loans from various financial institutions to carry on with its job of providing civic amenities in the city.
This is adding to its outstanding of over Rs 2,600 crore, which it has been struggling to repay for some time now.
