Steep hike in BDA property tax hits residents

Bengaluru: As the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) web portal opened for property tax payments a month into the financial year, property owners were in for a shock as their property tax liabilities had increased drastically — in some cases, by as much as 50 per cent. 

For instance, in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, the property tax for a site measuring 30x40 feet has increased from Rs 834 to Rs 1,208. 

“There has been a drastic increase even for vacant sites. In some cases, where the site is big, there is almost a 50 per cent increase. In our layout, the property tax for a 50x80 plot was nearly Rs 6,000 and has now increased to Rs 9,200,” said A. S. Suryakiran from the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (NPKL) Open Forum. 

The situation is similar in other layouts developed by the BDA. 

However, the BDA insisted that the hike was based on the revision of the guidance value and that there was no random increase. 

“The guidance value was revised in 2023, and the BDA calculates property tax based on the guidance value. Hence, property tax has gone up in proportion to the increase in guidance value. It is wrong to say that there has been a random increase,” BDA Commissioner N. Jayaram told DH. 

He added that property owners can approach the BDA if they feel there is an abnormal increase in property tax, and the matter will be looked into. 

Residents of various BDA layouts feel it is “unfair” to increase property tax based on guidance value. 

“They should not consider the guidance value. It is unfair. Especially in the case of vacant plots, owners do not have any income, and hence paying higher property tax is difficult. The authorities should consider this,” said D. S. Gowda, a member of the Residents’ Welfare Association of Sir M. Visvesvaraya Layout. 

Many other property owners also claimed that the BDA should provide basic amenities before increasing property tax.