Close to 1.7 lakh Bengaluru property owners have pending tax dues nearing Rs 600 crore

Bengaluru: Close to 1.7 lakh property owners have pending dues close to Rs 600 crore, Munish Moudgil, Special Commissioner (Revenue) said. While 95 per cent of the property owners pay up the property tax promptly, 5 per cent of them do not pay up even after multiple notices.

He noted that measures like auction of properties and taking over of the properties by the corporations were taken as a last resort since the property owners did not pay up the taxes.

“It is not right to let those who don't pay get away with it. It discourages those paying promptly. Hence, we have initiated such action. There are property owners who have dues pending for more than five years now. It is not that they don't know but they just don't respond even after multiple notices,” said Moudgil.

That apart, the drone survey has also revealed that close to 23,000 properties have under reported property tax evading close to Rs 688 crore.

“We have served them show cause notices after our officers inspected the properties. We do not depend only on the drone survey. Many of them would have used properties for commercial purposes or given it out for rent and would not have shown that while paying the property taxes,” he said.

Such under assessment has resulted in revenue losses to the tune of Rs 688 crore, Moudgil noted.

GBA to introduce online Khata correction facility

Aiming to improve citizen services and ensure greater convenience GBA will soon introduce an online khata correction facility for citizens.

The initiative will empower citizens to easily rectify errors in their khata details without procedural delays, thereby making the system more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly.

“Except for the owner’s name and property measurements, all other details will be made available for citizen correction, including location, ward number, and related information,” Moudgil said.

So far close to 25 lakh draft khata applications have been submitted online, out of which more than 10 lakh citizens have already received their final e-Khata.

“If all records are in order, the final e-Khata is being issued within an average of five days,” he said. According to statistics, one e khata is being issued every 30 seconds.

“More than 1,000 applications are being received daily, reflecting the growing adoption of the system by citizens. On average, one e-Khata is issued every 30 seconds, demonstrating the efficiency and speed of the digital processing system,” he said.