BBMP flexes muscles to meet revenue target

BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad has listed three specific measures that will ensure the civic body meets the revenue target for the next financial year. This will be in addition to the BBMP’s decision to issue ‘A’ Khatas to all tax-paying properties.

“To implement this budget, we have taken measures to streamline tax collection, levy property tax on educational institutions and increase the fee for mobile phone towers,” he said told the BBMP council on Saturday.

The BBMP still has to collect Rs 824 crore in property tax this financial year. Prasad said defaulters would be issued warrants and if they still failed to pay up, their properties would be seized.

So far, only 25% of the service charge is being collected from educational institutions, but they will now have to pay property tax, too, he explained. The fee for installing mobile phone towers will be increased to Rs 1 lakh. The BBMP also plans to levy stamp duty of 2% on properties registered within its jurisdiction.

The BBMP budget for the 2019-20 financial year was approved by the council, though the Opposition walked out in protest.