Bengaluru property tax alert: 100% penalty on unpaid dues from April 1!

An order has been issued by the country's largest municipality regarding property tax. The local body has informed that if anyone does not pay property tax from April 1, he will be fined 100% from April 1. BBMP has intensified its efforts to collect outstanding property taxes for the financial year 2024-25. Revenue Department Special Commissioner Munish Moudgil has instructed zonal officers to take immediate action to collect the arrears.

So far, BBMP has collected Rs 4,604 crore, which is 88.4 percent of the target. However, many more arrears are pending, with Mahadevapura, East and South zones having the highest number of defaulters. To streamline the tax collection process, the Karnataka government recently amended the BBMP Act. Earlier, defaulters were fined twice the outstanding amount.

The revised rule has reduced the penalty to an equal amount. In addition, a penalty of Rs 100 per annum has been imposed. However, this relaxation expires on March 31, after which strict penalties will be enforced. If you live in Bangalore and have not yet paid your property tax, now is the time to act quickly. From April 1, property owners who fail to pay on time will be fined 100% of the outstanding amount.

According to reports, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is going to implement this strict rule, and an interest rate of up to 15 percent per annum will be levied on unpaid taxes. Property owners are urged to pay their dues before the new penalty system comes into effect.

In response to unpaid taxes, BBMP has already started seizing and auctioning properties to recover the arrears. Authorities are also increasing enforcement measures to ensure compliance before the deadline.