Bengaluru: 24,000 homes found evading Rs 688 crore property tax, here's what happens next

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has detected property tax evasion worth Rs 688 crore across 23,600 properties after running two rounds of a GPS-based property verification and house-to-house survey. The second round alone flagged Rs 318 crore in evasion across nearly 13,600 properties, while the first round found Rs 370 crore underpaid across about 10,000 properties.

Notices sent to tens of thousands of property owners

As per reports, authority has issued nearly 67,000 notices in the second round and about 49,000 in the first round. Officials explained that most properties had underpaid taxes for an average of five years, which is why multiple notices were send, roughly one per financial year.

“Show-cause notices have been issued to property owners via physical communication, SMS and IVRS. Citizens who receive notices can respond or file an appeal within 15 days through online portal. They may also clear dues, along with applicable interest and penalty, through designated property tax payment website,” a GBA statement said.

Seven properties auctioned as dues cross Rs 437 crore

In a separate recovery move, GBA auctioned seven properties across East and North City Corporation limits to recover long-pending arrears. Officials said tax dues have reached Rs 437 crore across nearly 7,000 properties, forcing civic authorities to act after repeated notices failed to bring compliance.

How they detected evasion with GPS surveys, drones and mobile apps

“The exercise was carried out by GBA’s IT wing in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC) and city corporation teams. The verification process combined GPS-based house-to-house surveys, drone imagery of individual properties, digitised built-up area data, on-ground assessment of property usage - residential, commercial or mixed - and floor-wise verification,” said a statement.

“Survey teams used a mobile application carrying property tax data and captured GPS coordinates, usage type, built-up area and number of floors for each property. The data was transmitted to a backend system, where a quality control team conducted 100 percent verification, with rejected entries sent back for revalidation”, it said.

“QC-cleared data was then compared with drone imagery and digitised records. Discrepancies, such as undeclared additional built-up area or unreported commercial usage, triggered automated generation of show-cause notices demanding payment of evaded tax along with interest and penalties”, it said.

Officials added that GPS teams are currently surveying nearly 10,000 properties every day as part of the ongoing verification drive.

The civic body has urged property owners to verify their declarations and respond quickly to notices issued under the drive, warning that enforcement steps will continue against those who fail to comply.