Govt buildings must pay tax as per law: DKS defends BBMP notices

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday defended the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)'s decision to issue notices to Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha, the state government secretariat, for defaulting on service charge payments.

The civic body claims 257 government buildings in the East Zone alone owe a total of Rs 272 crore.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said, "The BBMP needs money. Let the government offices pay. If power bills are paid, why not the BBMP?”

According to BBMP data, 257 buildings from 45 government departments owe Rs 272 crore, including penalties and interest.

While these buildings — belonging to central or state governments and used for official, non-residential or non-commercial purposes — are exempt from property tax, they are required to pay a nominal service charge.

The BBMP notes that none of these government buildings have paid service charges since 2008. Despite previous attempts to collect the fees, the BBMP has been unsuccessful.

Government buildings such as Vikasa Soudha, Raj Bhavan, Karnataka High Court, and the Stamps and Registration Department owe between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 14 crore to the BBMP.

A senior BBMP official stated that the service charge constitutes about 25 per cent of the property tax.

"This is levied because the BBMP provides services such as garbage collection, fumigation, street light and road maintenance. If an institution like Isro can pay, why not the Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha?" the official asked.