BBMP releases list of top 50 property tax defaulters

BBMP releases list of top 50 property tax defaulters in Bengaluru, aiming to recover ₹111.99 crore from 400 defaulters.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Friday (March 1) released the list of the top 50 property tax defaulters in each of the eight zones. Star hotels, real-estate firms, tech parks, IT companies and shopping malls are among the properties whose property tax dues were released by the BBMP.

A total of ₹111.99 crore has to be recovered from 400 tax defaulters. The highest amount of tax default is by Abhishek Developers, Malleshwaram, in the west zone: ₹33.88 crore. The case is pending in the court.

This is followed by Srinivasa Education and Charitable Trust: ₹11.59 crore; T.N. Venkatesh and V. Pushpakumari: ₹11.51 crore both in Dasarahalli zone; GSTAAD Hotels Pvt. Ltd.: ₹2.75 crore in the east zone; and Brigade Foundation: ₹1.46 crore in the Mahadevapura zone.

The second half of the top 10 defaulters include Sowjanya Patel Trust, Nagadevanahalli: ₹1.14 crore in the Rajarajeswari Nagar zone. The BBMP has said notices have been issued 13 times to the defaulter. Jnanasweekar Foundation Managing Trustee H.D. Balakrishnegowda in the south zone has dues of ₹1.11 crore, Gangadhar T. at Magadi main road in the south zone has ₹1.85 crore dues and in the Yehahanka zone, Manyata Promoters Pvt. Ltd., has dues of ₹1.89 crore.

This comes a day after the civic body presented its Budget, in which it reworked its property tax structure and is set to introduce multiple policies to increase revenue streams through which it aims to raise ₹8,272.74 crore in 2024-25. The BBMP has been making its intent to improve property tax collection for years and has set a target of ₹4,470 crore for 2024-25, which is 26% higher than the revised estimates for 2023-24.

In the 2023-24 Budget, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike set a target of ₹4,462.5 crore but is estimated to achieve only 80% of that despite a special drive to collect property tax arrears and catch tax evaders. The target has now been revised to ₹3,535 crore. In 2022-23 as well, BBMP had reached only 80% of its targeted property tax collection.