Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, admitted that while declaring his properties, he too declared “less than the actual” area, as he emphasised on the need for streamlining the self-assessment scheme (SAS).
“… so, when declaring my properties, I declare less than the actual (area). Such things are there. People like us too are committing a lot of mistakes. All this should be streamlined,” Shivakumar said, while answering a question related to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) proposal to increase property tax, which is pending for approval by the state government.
Shivakumar made these remarks on Wednesday following the launch of a ‘Brand Bengaluru’ website – http://www.brandbengaluru.karnataka.gov.in – meant to gather suggestions from citizens for the betterment of Bengaluru.
The Congress leader also asked the BBMP to be self-dependent, suggesting that the civic body should increase its revenue sources without relying on the state government for grants.
Shivakumar highlighted that many people were not paying property taxes, while suggesting that people should pay based on the built-up area and that the self-assessment scheme introduced by the civic body needs to be analysed to determine its effectiveness.
He also mentioned that some people are not allowing officials to enter buildings to verify the declarations made in the self-assessment scheme.
Hinting at the possibility of increasing taxes, he stated that stakeholders in Bengaluru had suggested it.
Aiming to increase its revenue, the BBMP implemented a self-assessment scheme and began physically verifying the total area of some commercial properties.
Shivakumar mentioned the idea of introducing solid waste charges of Rs 50 or Rs 100, noting that different states follow various practices, and many citizens have shown interest in the idea of paying a small fee to ensure timely waste collection.
He also stated that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has not increased water tariffs since 2014, which has affected its ability to undertake new projects for providing water to Bengaluru.