Cash-strapped BBMP will accept property tax in cheques too

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to accept the property taxes through cheques too, as the collection in the first month of the current fiscal itself has nosedived as compared to the previous years. Due to the cheque-bounce cases, the Palike had earlier decided not to accept property taxes through cheques.

The BBMP has said that the receipts would be issued only if the cheques are realised in the banks. Besides cheques, people can pay their property tax through demand draft, bank pay order and cash.

As complaints are pouring in that the citizens are harassed to fill forms every year to pay their taxes, the Palike made it clear that people will have to fill Form-IV, only in the event of any changes in the building plan.

Meanwhile, the Jayamahal corporator M K Gunashekar urged the BBMP commissioner to extend the concession period to pay property taxes by one more month.

Every year, the BBMP offers five per cent concession for the month of April to encourage citizens to pay property taxes in the first month of the financial year.

Gunashekar said most of the officials were busy with the elections due to which citizens could not pay their taxes on time.