SAS earns BBMP Rs 25 cr in 12 days

SAS earns BBMP Rs 25 cr in 12 days
BENGALURU


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I 271 help centres witness increase in property tax collection, but hiccups remain I ‘ A majority of owners of High ‘ Value Assessment Properties have volunteered to pay the tax in the first 10 days

Property tax col lection by BBMP under the Self Assessment Scheme (SAS) has gone up with the 271 help centres across Bengaluru witnessing brisk business.
In the last 12 days, BBMP has made a collection of property tax worth Rs 25 crore from over 40,000 properties. A majority of owners of High Value Assessment Properties have volunteered to pay the tax in the first 10 days from the beginning of property tax (from February 10) contributing a good collection, BBMP sources said.

Property tax collection is likely to increase substantially in the coming days with increased assistance at the help centres to make tax payment hassle free, the sources added.

But the process continues to face problems with people complaining that there was a shortage of tax payment applications and handbooks at the help centres.

People are either made to wait for long hours or left unattended at the help centres making them furious.

“When the new mode of property tax payment has been introduced by BBMP, it is the responsibility of BBMP personnel to make adequate technical and manpower assistance available at all the centres to make tax collection easier,” said Manoj Kumar, a resident of Shantinagar.

“Access to SAS applications and booklets has become difficult. The response from the officials on the issue has been poor despite repeated visits to help centres,” said Manjunath V., another tax payer at Shantinagar.

Calculating property tax has been tricky under the modified SAS scheme. Officials at the help centres are not co-operative and are not much help, he added.

BBMP has been making efforts to supply adequate SAS applications and hand books at all help centres. However, collection of property tax from 18 lakh properties is a challenging task. “The printing press was busy printing state Budget documents till last week,” said BBMP deputy commissioner (Resources) U. A. Vasantha Rao.

Adequate forms will be printed and distributed across all the centres, Mr Rao added. - “We are sensitising offi cials at the help centres to help people in filling up application forms. Even members of Resident Welfare Association (RWA) will be roped in by giving them training. A meeting has been convened with members of RWAs at BBMP’s IPP centre at Malleswaram on February 25. Apart from this, four hotlines will be provided in the next three days helping people clear their myths and doubts on property tax,” he added.