BBMP simplifies payment of tax for owners of unassessed properties

The earlier process

Currently, the existing Property Tax Self Assessment Scheme provides for a citizen to apply and obtain the Property Tax Payment Assessment Number when no Property ID or Assessment Number exists for a property. Further, no citizen can pay his or her property tax for an unassessed property and has to first get an approval of the ARO (assistant revenue officer) and get his property entered in the BBMP Property Tax Registers (A and B Property Registers).

The process proved to be a daunting and time-consuming one, so much so that a citizen who was willing to pay the property tax had to wait for many months and years while the interest and penalties added up.

The new way

In the new mechanism, the property tax payment is permitted upfront as a part of online citizen application for entry of property into Property Tax registers of the BBMP, enabling the citizens to pay property tax upfront and save on interest and penalties while the BBMP decides the application in due course.

“The citizen application shall be accepted only after authentication of identity of the applicant and the claimed owners (based on the Aadhaar), and identification of the property (through GPS and photograph), additionally the supporting documents of ownership need to be uploaded as well. A two step system, that is, (i) payment property taxes and (b) Entry of Property in the BBMP Property Tax Registers; are specifically separated for the benefit of the citizens,” said the BBMP.

The BBMP also clarified that the ‘first step’ is mere payment of property tax as a part of the application for entry of Property in the BBMP Property Tax Registers. “This does not by itself create any right nor it is an acknowledgment or acceptance of any right what-so-ever with respect to any property. This is treated as self-declared suo-motu payment as a part of application for “Khata” with no prejudice to final decision as regards entry of the Property in the Property Tax Register of the BBMP and issuance of “Khata”,” the BBMP added.

Meanwhile, the second step includes processing by the BBMP as per extant law and rules for entry of properties into appropriate Property Tax Registers. “Once that process is complete, only then the BBMP shall enter the property into the Property Tax Register of the BBMP and ineligible applications shall be rejected,” BBMP stated.