‘BBMP lost Rs 500 cr in property tax as 110 biz units undervalued liability’

The BBMP council on Monday accepted the total station survey report that found irregularities in the way 110 highly commercial establishments were given property tax concessions.

As per the report, the BBMP lost nearly Rs 500 crore in property tax, including Rs 116.93 crore in the East Zone alone. Reading out the report, BJP corporator Padmanabha Reddy stated that instead of recovering the unpaid taxes, previous zonal commissioners caused huge losses to the BBMP. He asked the BBMP commissioner and the mayor to write to the chief secretary, recommending action against all officials responsible for this. According to Reddy, BBMP joint commissioners had listed star hotels, such as Royal Orchid Atria, The Lalit Ashok, Chancery Pavilion, East-West Hotel and Oberoi, as hotels and restaurants, causing a loss of Rs 50 crore in property tax to the civic body.

Weighing in, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said that while there is a provision for owners to declare details of their property, the civic body had the powers to examine it. The total station survey has found huge differences between what the 110 highly commercial establishments declared in property assessment and the ground reality. The BBMP will recover the difference amount with interest, he added.