6 lakh more properties still out of tax net, says BBMP official

Ever since the geographical information system (GIS)-based property identification number was introduced, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had been insisting that there are 16.5 lakh properties in Bengaluru.

However, on Wednesday BBMP special commissioner V Rashmi said in the Palike Council that there are about 5.5 lakh to six lakh more properties in Bengaluru that are out of the tax net.

Her statement came when the opposition BJP members pointed out the lacunae in the taxation system. She said the BBMP has upgraded the self-assessment scheme with an intention to reduce people's dependence on the revenue officers and instead pay the taxes on their own.

“We want people to pay their taxes from home. The application calculates the taxes,” said Rashmi.

The BJP's Kadu Malleswara ward corporator G Manjunath Raju said he has instances where in people who had not paid their taxes for previous years were able to get the tax receipts (challan) this year.