Meet tax target by March 31, or face action: Bengaluru Minister

BENGALURU: City Development Minister K J George has warned disciplinary action against Bengaluru’s municipal authorities if they fail to collect Rs 505 crore in property taxes by the end of the fiscal, which is less than a month away.

Property tax is a major source of income for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the city’s civic agency. The minister reviewed the BBMP’s tax collection efforts on Friday.

According to BBMP Special Commissioner (Revenue) V Rashmi, property tax collection for 2015-16 stands at Rs 1,784 crore. In 2014-15, authorities managed to collect Rs 1,810 crore against a target of Rs 2,900 crore, she said.

“Property tax collection is not commensurate with hundreds of commercial properties are coming up in newer areas such as Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli and Dasarahalli. I see that revenue officers are not taking the initiative. Such officers will face action in the next review meeting in the first week of April,” George warned the officers.

The minister further directed BBMP Commissioner G Kumar Naik to quicken the process of digitizing property records by outsourcing it. “The BBMP’s IT wing should have experienced officers,” he added.

Bengaluru Mayor B N Manjunath Reddy hit out at joint commissioners. Bengaluru is divided into eight municipal zones, each headed by a joint commissioner. “Their primary job is to drive property tax collection. Instead, they want the authority to sanction building plans. Therefore, we don’t need the posts of joint commissioners,” Reddy said.