Representative image with the word 'tax'.
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Bengaluru: For the first time, collection of property tax from the Mahadevapura zone – which is home to many startups and multinational firms – breached the Rs 1,000-crore mark, helping the BBMP to secure a revenue windfall of Rs 3,900 crore in 2023-24. While the civic body’s revenue wing has fared better, citizen groups want the other sections of the BBMP to also perform well by providing better civic amenities.
As per the latest data, the BBMP’s head office has recorded revenue of Rs 3,863.63 crore from the property tax but it expects the final tally to increase by another Rs 40 crore once the zonal officers complete the bank-related works.
Mahadevapura zone, which had contributed Rs 990 crore in the last fiscal year and Rs 813 crore a year before that, has seen revenue jump to Rs 1,039 crore. East zone – which is in the heart of Bengaluru – stands second at Rs 681 crore. Almost all zones have performed better than last year.
The civic body hoped the collection would touch Rs 4,000 crore by the end of March this year but the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls put a brake on the revenue recovery drive with officers being assigned election-related responsibilities. In 2024-25, the BBMP expects the property tax revenue to touch Rs 5,000 crore.
Most importantly, the record revenue has set a benchmark for the BBMP which was known to be having a soft corner to tax defaulters. The increase in the collection is likely to help the civic body take up more projects.
Meanwhile, citizen groups want the BBMP’s other division to also perform well by providing better infrastructure to the city. Officials said they have set aside Rs 1,200 crore from the property tax for white-topping of roads.
“This is a long-lasting solution which offers a better commute experience to the citizens,” officials said, adding that more long-term projects are being planned in the new financial year.
Murli Govindarajulu, a member of Whitefield Rising, said the civic body should increase the fund allocation to wards that are situated in the peripheral areas.
“Besides the tech parks, Mahadevapura zone is home to as many as 42 of the 110 villages that were amalgamated to the BBMP in 2007-08. The ratio between population and public utilities continues to be very low,” he said, demanding more funds for public infrastructure projects including toilets, parks etc.