Revenue dip pushes Bengaluru’s East Corporation to ramp up property tax collection | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: With the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and decentralisation of civic finances, individual corporations have intensified efforts to recover long-pending property tax arrears, as revenues collected are now retained and utilised locally.Acting on this mandate, Bengaluru East City Corporation launched an aggressive enforcement drive against chronic defaulters who had failed to clear dues despite repeated notices. Notices were issued to the top 100 property tax defaulters in the East Zone, after which enforcement teams inspected more than 20 commercial establishments, sealing nearly half for non-payment of dues. Most defaulters cleared their pending tax amounts soon after enforcement action began, either through online payments or by cheque.
The crackdown comes amid mounting pressure on the five corporations to meet annual revenue targets, with the financial year nearing its end. East corporation set a property tax collection target of Rs 1,673.5 crore for 2025-26, of which only Rs 954.9 crore was collected so far, prompting authorities to tighten recovery measures.The East zone alone has identified around 31,000 defaulters, cutting across residential properties, commercial complexes, food chains, and PG buildings. Demand notices are issued online, with a 30-day window provided for payment before coercive action such as sealing is initiated. Corporation officials stressed that enforcement drives would continue on a daily basis, moving from one set of defaulters to the next until compliance improves. “With corporations now responsible for generating and utilising their own revenue, recovering long-pending dues will be the main focus,” an official said, adding that sealed properties are reopened immediately after payment. QUOTE BOX (please use with mugshot mailed by Hamsa)Dakshayani K, joint commissioner, Bengaluru East City Corporation We have given them all a good number of days to pay their arrears. Currently, our main focus is on long-pending arrears, mainly of commercial properties. We’re aiming to get the long-pending dues cleared. Currently, we have targeted the top 100 defaulters, and then we will go to the next 100 defaulters. Our request is that the citizens must pay their taxes regularlyBOX | East Corporation Total properties in tax net: 450,766 Property tax target (2025–26): Rs 1,673.5 crore Collected so far: Rs 954 crore Estimated defaulters in East zone: Rs 31,000 BOX | Enforcement Snapshot (since April 1)Showcause notices served: 2,689 properties Amount involved: Rs 4.2 crore Demand notices served: 2,590 properties Revised demand amount: Rs 3.6 crore
