Bengaluru: No relief yet from stiff penalties on tax arrears, lament property owners

Thousands of property owners in Bengaluru, India are still waiting for the city's civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru
Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), to withdraw notices issued to them regarding alleged tax arrears. The property owners

claim they had been assessing and paying their taxes online according to the old zonal classification rates since 2016-
17 when zones were reclassified. However, the civic body's online property tax payment system had not been updated
with the new zonal classification rates.
In 2020, the civic body began issuing notices to the property owners that they had to pay not only arrears but also
interest and penalties. The property owners allege that despite promises made by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai,
the notices have not been withdrawn, and they are concerned that with elections coming up in less than a month, they
will have to start the process all over again with a new government.
The Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP) stated that 78,000 property owners in the city were slapped with penalties
and interests ranging from tens of thousands to lakhs of rupees. The BNP claims to have met with the Chief Minister
on March 18, who promised to resolve the issue and connected them to BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath.
Lalithamba BV, head of campaigns for the BNP, who is in touch with the aggrieved citizens, said both the Chief
Minister and the BBMP official committed to resolving the issue in the next few days.
However, Srikanth Narasimhan, co-founder and general secretary of the BNP, expressed his frustration at the BBMP's
lack of action, stating that he did not know what stopped them from publishing a note on its website assuring citizens
not to worry. Giri Nath, the BBMP chief commissioner, claimed that the matter was pending with the government and
had not been communicated to them. With the poll code in place, he said they were not in a position to discuss the
issue further.
The situation highlights the importance of keeping records up to date and ensuring that government systems are
regularly updated. It is essential that governments and civic bodies take the time to review and update their systems to
ensure that taxpayers are not unfairly penalized for mistakes beyond their control.
Furthermore, the delay in resolving the issue has left property owners feeling helpless and frustrated, which is a cause
for concern. Governments must work to ensure that their citizens have faith in their ability to provide justice and
resolve disputes quickly and efficiently. Failure to do so can lead to a breakdown in trust between citizens and their
elected representatives, which can have long-term consequences for the health and prosperity of the community.
In conclusion, it is imperative that the BBMP takes swift action to resolve this issue and withdraw the notices issued
to property owners. Failure to do so will only further erode the trust between citizens and their government and
damage the credibility of the electoral process. Additionally, the BBMP must ensure that its systems are updated
regularly to prevent similar issues from arising in the future. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of governments to
ensure that their citizens are treated fairly and justly, and that they have faith in their ability to provide justice and
resolve disputes.
The story was first published in ET Realty.

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Bengaluru: No relief yet from stiff penalties on tax arrears, lament property owners

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