Bengaluru’s civic authority is preparing to issue tax evasion notices to nearly 5 lakh property owners after identifying large-scale underreporting through its self-assessment scheme. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), using drone surveillance and GPS verification, has flagged discrepancies in building data and declared property values, marking the start of an expansive compliance crackdown. The move is part of BBMP’s renewed strategy to recover dues, improve civic revenue, and enforce data-backed accountability across the city’s booming real estate footprint.
The impending crackdown, to be fully activated by August, marks one of the largest municipal compliance initiatives ever undertaken in the state. Civic officials report that owners of these properties under-declared or concealed additional construction—such as extra floors, rooms, or extensions—to significantly reduce their tax liability. BBMP’s preliminary analysis indicates that these omissions are not mere oversights but part of a larger pattern of systemic underreporting designed to take advantage of loopholes within SAS. This initiative is not limited to retrospective rectification. The BBMP is also preparing to issue fresh notices mandating full payment based on accurate assessments. Officials confirmed that if property owners fail to respond or comply with these revised tax demands, the civic body will not hesitate to initiate punitive actions including penalties, property attachment, or even sealing.
The property tax verification exercise began earlier this year after officials observed anomalies in tax records that did not align with visible urban development patterns. The revenue department began correlating self-reported property details with satellite imagery, occupancy certificates, and GPS data, revealing widespread underassessment. The use of drones, a first-of-its-kind tool for the BBMP, enabled high-resolution top-down scans that exposed additional built-up areas across residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments. While the BBMP is still analysing the full extent of the revenue shortfall, early estimates suggest that just 26,000 of the flagged properties could yield over ₹100 crore in recoverable tax. Officials believe this figure could rise significantly as audits proceed through the remaining 4.75 lakh listings.
Alongside the crackdown on underassessment, BBMP is also pursuing a parallel effort to collect outstanding dues from more than 3.16 lakh defaulters. These tax arrears currently amount to ₹714.56 crore—a fiscal gap that has hindered several infrastructure and public service projects. In an effort to encourage voluntary compliance, the BBMP had earlier rolled out a One-Time Settlement Scheme (OTS) in 2024, offering reduced interest rates on overdue tax payments. BBMP officials now intend to use both administrative and legal tools to enforce collections from chronic defaulters.
Bengaluru BBMP To Serve Tax Notices To 5 Lakh Properties For Evasion
