Property Tax: BBMP gets `3200 cr in its kitty, only `380 cr collected via OTS

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Despite the state government’s One Time Settlement Scheme (OTS) getting over on Wednesday, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is yet to collect Rs 516 crore from tax defaulters and Rs 282 crore from revision cases from 3.04 lakh properties in the city, as of Thursday, August 1.

The total amount pending is as high as Rs. 831.5 crore. The Palike has set its foot down ruling out any extension despite server crashes and requests from citizens on Thursday.

Property tax remains its primary source of revenue to run the city administration and civic amenities. Munish Moudgil, Special Commissioner (Revenue), BBMP emphasised that the deadline would not be extended by a month although reports suggest that officials are likely to consult Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, on the subject.

Officials admitted that the website saw huge traffic, leading to a crash in the server. “It started at around 8.30 pm, but we thankfully got it sorted out,” a revenue official told News Trail.

Figures from Thursday revealed that the Palike's total tax collection this year is Rs. 3065.82 crores, Rs. 600 crores higher than last year. It is also revealed that around Rs. 150 crore was received via Demand Drafts and cheques taking the total to around Rs 3200 crore.

Despite repeated reminders, which offers defaulters 100 per cent concession on interest and 50 per cent on penalties, the BBMP only saw Rs. 380.63 crores coming in from 1.14 lakh properties, from both defaulters and those who’ve paid less than the declared value.

Two zones, Mahadevapura (Rs. 808.40 crore) and East (Rs.544.46 crore) have the highest taxpayers. South (Rs. 459.01 cr), West (Rs. 337.82 cr) and Bommanahalli (316.10) zones follow in collection figures.