One-time regularisation fee of Rs 50,000 for each telecom tower

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has decided to regularise telecom towers in the city, which have mushroomed illegally.

The Palike will collect Rs 50,000 from telecom firms for each tower as a one-time permission fee and will collect property tax every year. The taxation and finance committee of the BBMP passed a resolution to this effect at a meeting on Tuesday.

“All the telecom towers in the city are illegal. We estimate that there are around 10,000 telecom towers. Besides collecting one-time fee of Rs 50,000 from each telecom tower, we will henceforth collect property tax for each tower under the Self Assessment Scheme,” said Taxation and Finance Committee chairperson M K Gunashekar.

The Palike aims to earn Rs 500 crore from this move assuming that there are around 10,000 towers in the BBMP limits. Apart from this, it will generate additional revenue every year in the form of property tax.

“We did not have any provision for towers in our taxation system but we will introduce it. Owners of buildings having towers will have to pay the tax,” said Gunashekar.
He added that the Palike would collect arrears with penalty from these tower owners from the day these structures were erected.