August 2, 2024: Bangalore Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar on August 2, 2024, has announced the extension of the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for property tax defaulters till August 31, 2024, according to media reports. Earlier, the scheme was, which was initially available till May 31, was extended till July 31.
The move will benefit 2.74 lakh property tax defaulters in the city limits who are yet to avail of the scheme. The civic authority waived off compounding interest on the property tax arrears entirely and reduced the penalty amount by half. Through this scheme, property tax by the defaulters can be paid with a 50% penalty and a full concession on interest.
The decision was made following demand for the citizens due to server issues and issues while depositing the cheque. On July 30 and July 31, thousands of property tax defaulters visited the civic authority’s offices, which resulted in server crash due to which several defaulters could not pay their taxes.
The OTS scheme was launched by the BBMP in February 2024 after receiving approval from the state cabinet. Nearly 1.07 lakh property tax defaulters have cleared arrears so far, which to the tune of Rs 217 crore. The authority expects to generate another Rs 516 crore from 2.74 lakh defaulters availing of the scheme.
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