Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to auction properties of chronic tax defaulters

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has announced the auction of immovable properties belonging to chronic property tax defaulters in a bid to recover outstanding tax dues.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has announced the auction of immovable properties belonging to chronic property tax defaulters in a bid to recover outstanding tax dues.

The civic body has already issued eight to 10 notices to property tax defaulters for the auction, said BBMP Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil. 

This action, carried out under Section 156(5) of the BBMP Act, 2020, comes after a range of measures to collect the dues failed. The measures included issuance of show-cause notices, demand notices, property attachment orders, and sealing of non-residential properties.

As a final resort, these properties are now being put up for the auction. Any surplus funds generated from the auction after recovering the outstanding dues will be deposited in the defaulters’ bank accounts, Mr. Moudgil said. 

Initially, eight to 10 top defaulters identified from various zones with arrears ranging between ₹1 crore and ₹2 crore have been served auction notices. The dates for the auction have already been fixed. The BBMP plans to make this an ongoing process, with more properties, both commercial and residential, being auctioned weekly to recover arrears, he added. 

Mr. Moudgil urged property owners to clear their dues immediately to avoid such coercive measures. With over 2 lakh properties currently in arrears, he warned that continued non-payment will result in stricter recovery action.