JOIN USTo replenish its sagging coffers, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has hiked the advertisement taxes on hoardings and signboards by 50 per cent to 100 per cent in the new financial year.
Irrespective of location, the BBMP had a uniform slot of Rs 129 per sq ft as advertisement tax on hoardings and glow signboards across the City. Now, the Palike has rationalised the taxes according to its four advertisement zones - ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C’ and ‘D’.
While no advertisement can be put up in the ‘A’ zone - where sensitive locations like Vidhana Soudha, Raj Bhavan, residential areas of lawmakers, VIP guesthouses and important government offices are located, the Palike has increased the advertisement tax by 100 per cent in the ‘B’ zone.
Now, people putting up hoardings in the ‘B’ zone will have to shell out Rs 260 per sq ft, whereas in the ‘C’ and ‘D’ zones, the amount has been increased to Rs 200 per sq ft.
After the Palike Council approved the revised advertisement tax rates, the BBMP administration got the proposal cleared by the State government.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Manjunath Raju, chairperson of the BBMP Standing Committee on Taxation and Finance, said the revised rates will generate an extra Rs 100 crore to Rs 120 crore this year. The Palike also plans to increase the rents for hoardings on its land, he said.
It is learnt that the Palike wanted to charge rental value on hoardings on private properties, but the Urban Development department of the government rejected the proposal, saying it infringed on rights of the individuals.
The BBMP intends to do away with illegal hoardings that have come up across the City. It has also decided to link its road history with the hoardings.