BBMP proposes 20-25% hike in property tax

Amid talk of Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) planning to revise water bills in the city, Bengalureans will now have to be prepared to pay higher property taxes too.

The BBMP has proposed to hike the property tax by 20% on residential properties and 25% on commercial properties in the city.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has placed the proposal for revising the property tax from the 2020-2021 financial year before the council for approval.

This has been in the council meeting’s agenda for the past three months. As the model code of conduct was in force until May, it is expected to come up for discussion in the council this month.

Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun has said the matter will be discussed with deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, before the discussion in the council meeting.

Though the BBMP had wanted to revise property tax eight years ago, it was not possible owing to elections in the state, BBMP and other administrative issues. However, the same was revised in 2016-17 financial year.

Citing the provision in the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act to revise tax every three years, BBMP has decided to revise it.

“There is provision in the KMC Act to revise property tax every three years. So the proposal has been placed before council. It will be discussed in the council in this month’s meeting and the scale of the revision will be finalised. It will be sent to the government for approval later,” BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad told DH.

According to mayor Mallikarjun, the subject will be discussed in the meeting as scheduled and will be approved. “It will be sent to the government for approval. However, this will come to effect from next financial year if everything goes as proposed,” she added.