Bengaluru: At times when the citizens are struggling to pay their property tax, BBMP is all set to hike the tax for domestic households by 25 percent and commercial buildings by 30 percent.
BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said that as per the Karnataka Municipal Council Act the civic body has the right to hike property tax every three years and said this addition will come into effect this year only (2019-20).
After taking part in the World Environment Day programme, Prasad told reporters, “As per the norms of KMC Act we can hike the property tax once in every three years. We should have revised it three years ago, but for various reasons it was not taken forward."
We had submitted the proposal to hike property taxes and send it to BBMP council for approval. As the model code of conduct was in place, the proposal was not taken forward, he said.
He added that the proposal will be sent for council approval again and then forwarded to the state government for is approval. Once this process is over, the hike will come into effect this year.
Ruling party leader Abdul Wajid cited KMC Act and said the proposal will be placed in the council and it's pros and cons will be discussed, before arriving at the percentage of hike.
Opposition leader Padmanabha Reddy registered his opposition to this hike and said they will not allow this to happen.
Reddy said this was not the way to improve BBMP revenue. While the civic body is being looted with fake bills, it has done nothing to improve revenue. Instead it is aiming to hit the common man with property tax hike, Reddy said.
