The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Crackdown on property tax evaders soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Crackdown on property tax evaders soon

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, APRIL 12. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) is all set to crack the whip on property owners who have deviated from the original sanctioned plan.

The "five per cent random checking of buildings," defined as an important parameter in the BMP's property tax self-assessment scheme (SAS), is soon going to become a reality.

The Mayor, R. Narayanaswamy, has directed revenue officials to begin the random verification of declarations made by owners who have opted for SAS in the last few years.

Although the BMP has announced that it will collect tax under its new scheme based on the capital value of buildings from the second half-year of 2005-2006, it is determined to go after those who evade tax, to increase its revenue, an official press release said.

In this background, the officials have been asked to act sternly on complaints of deviations besides the random checking. The zonal deputy commissioners have been asked to verify the buildings in their jurisdiction and find out whether they have been included in the tax net, the release said.

This direction follows the officials' claims that the property tax collection has gone up by Rs. 30 crores in the last few days. While the property tax collection reached Rs. 195 crores in 2002-2003, it crossed Rs. 200 crores in 2003-2004. It increased to Rs. 230 crores in 2004-2005. "Compared to collections during the previous years, the revenue has gone up by Rs. 30 crores during this part of the year," the release said.

The Mayor recently asked the officials to submit records of properties in all wards and adopt stringent measures to mobilise revenue.

"The civic body is hopeful of mobilising an additional Rs. 50 crores in the first half of 2005-2006. To reach the target, the random checking of properties has become essential," the release said.

Directive

The officials have been asked to identify owners of properties who have not made honest declarations. "There are several properties which have been assessed under the residential category but are being used for commercial purposes. The BMP will find out all such properties and ensure that owners do not cheat the civic body," the release added.

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