For the first time, property tax collection, one of the major revenue sources for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has crossed the ₹3,000-crore mark. According to information made available, the civic body was able to collect ₹3,074.95 crore during 2021-22 fiscal.
The property tax collected in 2021-22 fiscal is more than ₹250 crore collected the year before. The data also shows that the most tax has been collected from Mahadevapura and East zones, followed by South, West, Bommanahalli, Yelahanka, Rajarajeshwarinagar, and Dasarahalli zones.
When zone-wise collection is compared, maximum increase in collection – more than ₹50 crore - has been recorded in West and Yelahanka zones. While collection in Bommanahalli has seen over ₹35 crore increase, over ₹25 crore increase has been recorded in South and Mahadevapura zones. This has been possible because revenue officials were given a target of increasing property tax collection in their respective jurisdictions by at least 10%, sources said.
Data comparison exercise
Meanwhile, the BBMP’s revenue department is looking at various ways to bring in more properties under the tax net. To begin with, revenue officials are looking at comparing the data available with the civic body with that of other civic agencies, such as Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) and Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
Confirming the development, BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Revenue) Deepak R.L. told The Hindu that talks have already begun with Bescom with regard to data mining, data comparison, and data mapping. The civic body has also appointed a KAS-level officer to head the data handshake exercise.
He said that data comparison and mapping were essential, as each utility had a different data set. For instance, a property may have a commercial power connection from Bescom, but the owner may be paying tax by declaring the property as a residential property. “The exercise will help clean up the existing data in the BBMP, apart from bringing in more properties under the tax net. This will definitely improve the revenue collection,” he said and added that the exercise would be completed this financial year.
