GBA flags Rs 318 crore tax evasion by 13,600 properties in second round of audit

In the second round of property audit, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has identified alleged property tax evasion amounting to Rs 318 crore across 13,600 properties.

This takes the cumulative tax evasion or under-declaration of tax during the self-assessment scheme (SAS) to Rs 688 crore, covering a total of 23,600 properties.

The large-scale audit marks one of the most technology-driven tax enforcement drives undertaken in the city, with authorities signalling that enforcement will continue until all discrepancies are addressed.

Among the five corporations, the highest number of cases has been detected in West (7,242), followed by North (3,227), and South (1,763).

GBA’s Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil said the initiative is aimed at ensuring fairness in tax collection and bringing all properties into compliance.

Explaining the process, he said the team carries property tax records on a mobile application during field visits.

“Each property’s exact GPS coordinates are captured on-site. Field staff record usage (residential, commercial or mixed), number of floors, and actual built-up area. The data is transmitted to a backend system where a Quality Control (QC) team conducts 100% verification. Verified cases are matched against drone imagery and digitised building footprints. Discrepancies — such as larger built-up areas or undeclared commercial usage — automatically trigger system-generated show cause notices,” he said.

The field teams are currently surveying about 10,000 properties per day, and further notices are expected as verification continues.

Officials emphasised that each notice clearly details the basis of calculation and variance detected, allowing property owners to view and respond to the findings.