JOIN USThe Palike has prepared a database of properties within the city’s municipal limits. Prepared with the help of satellite imagery as also physical verification of each property, the database assist BBMP staff in issuing notice to those property owners who have undervalued their taxes. The exercise will become operational next month.
Deputy Commissioner (Resources) U A Vasanth Rao explained that no sooner do property owners submit application details than they would be compared and verified with the details already in the database.
“It will be easy to tally the actual facts furnished by property owners. Each property would be identified with a particular number in the database. If the details turn out to be accurate and match with our database, the slot for that property would show up in blue.
If the facts are not genuine, the slots would turn red. The slots for properties for which tax has not been paid would remain blank,” Rao said.
Beginning June, the Palike will serve notices on property owners who have filed incorrect details. “We will inform them that the property details they submitted vary with the database and that they would, therefore, have to pay penalty for defaulting,” Rao said.
Those who have filed wrong information would end up paying double the taxable amount evaded, besides a 2 per cent interest per month. “If a property owner has paid Rs 2,000 less than what he should have paid, the penalty would be Rs 4,000 plus 2 per cent interest, from May 1,” the BBMP official said.
Bribe temptation
The BBMP would simultaneously plug loopholes in the tax laws so that its employees do not have the temptation to seek bribes for undervaluing properties. Rao said his officers do not enjoy the liberty to change the dimensions of a property. “We have the database and it will ensure safeguards against bribes too,” he said, adding that in the event of a property owner over-valuing the tax, the excess amount would be refunded when he/she files returns the following year.
While the BBMP bark is presumed to be as good as its bite, a property owner would be given an opportunity to file a revised return if he had initially wrongly calculated the taxable amount. “Property owners will be able to file revised returns. They will not be penalised if they realise their error. But they would lose the chance to file revised returns once the Palike serves notice on them,” he said.
According to an estimate, so far 60 per cent of property owners have paid their taxes.
Those who paid before March 31 enjoyed 5 per cent rebate and they were allowed to file returns without being penalised till April 30.
A glance at the coloured slots of properties clearly show how many property owners have paid tax in each locality. The Palike will take measures to collect taxes from those who have not paid so far this fiscal. “Palike staff with the help of the database will easily identify those who have not paid up. Superior officials will instruct officers in-charge of each ward and approach owners of such properties and ensure that they pay”, he said.