<p>Bengaluru: One in every seven buildings in Bengaluru has under-declared property tax under the Self-Assessment Scheme (SAS), according to initial estimates by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).</p>.<p>The civic body has used a combination of technology and manual verification to identify discrepancies in annual tax assessments.</p>.BBMP chief inspects Sarjapur road-widening work.<p>Over 20 lakh buildings — residential, commercial, and mixed-use — exist within the BBMP limits. A random audit of around 5 lakh buildings revealed that nearly 1 lakh had under-assessed their property tax. Based on these findings, the BBMP estimates that between three to four lakh properties across Bengaluru may have under-declared taxes. These numbers align with the findings of an expert committee formed around six years ago, officials said.</p>.<p>"Our staff had captured GPS coordinates and photographs of about five lakh buildings. When we calculated the plinth area using technology, we discovered that 40% to 60% of these properties had under-declared their property tax for several years. We plan to issue notices in cases where the discrepancies are significant,” said a senior BBMP official.</p>.<p>By law, the BBMP cannot issue notices without physically measuring the property. Typically, the civic body manually measures about 15,000 properties each year. Notices used to be handwritten by revenue officers, but over the past two years, the BBMP has automated much of the process by implementing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).</p>.<p>However, the upcoming notices may come as a shock, as they are expected to include steep penalties and interest on the unpaid amounts. This could compel the authorities to consider reintroducing a One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme to waive penalties and interest, which are often viewed as excessive.</p>.<p>In 2019, the BBMP hired a private agency to undertake a total station survey of 109 large commercial buildings. The team found that these properties together owed Rs 800 crore to the BBMP. Subsequently, the team's report went missing. Sources said the dues have still not been recovered.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: One in every seven buildings in Bengaluru has under-declared property tax under the Self-Assessment Scheme (SAS), according to initial estimates by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).</p>.<p>The civic body has used a combination of technology and manual verification to identify discrepancies in annual tax assessments.</p>.BBMP chief inspects Sarjapur road-widening work.<p>Over 20 lakh buildings — residential, commercial, and mixed-use — exist within the BBMP limits. A random audit of around 5 lakh buildings revealed that nearly 1 lakh had under-assessed their property tax. Based on these findings, the BBMP estimates that between three to four lakh properties across Bengaluru may have under-declared taxes. These numbers align with the findings of an expert committee formed around six years ago, officials said.</p>.<p>"Our staff had captured GPS coordinates and photographs of about five lakh buildings. When we calculated the plinth area using technology, we discovered that 40% to 60% of these properties had under-declared their property tax for several years. We plan to issue notices in cases where the discrepancies are significant,” said a senior BBMP official.</p>.<p>By law, the BBMP cannot issue notices without physically measuring the property. Typically, the civic body manually measures about 15,000 properties each year. Notices used to be handwritten by revenue officers, but over the past two years, the BBMP has automated much of the process by implementing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).</p>.<p>However, the upcoming notices may come as a shock, as they are expected to include steep penalties and interest on the unpaid amounts. This could compel the authorities to consider reintroducing a One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme to waive penalties and interest, which are often viewed as excessive.</p>.<p>In 2019, the BBMP hired a private agency to undertake a total station survey of 109 large commercial buildings. The team found that these properties together owed Rs 800 crore to the BBMP. Subsequently, the team's report went missing. Sources said the dues have still not been recovered.</p>