My experience paying property tax

6 BBMP offices to pay property tax over a week, what does Chandrasekhara V S learn?

I submitted my property tax returns at the JP Nagar BBMP Citizen Service Center, on 2nd April making the payment with a cheque. They asked me to wait as the server was slow to generate the receipt. They then asked to come on the next working day and the receipt was ready. I collected it on 5th April after showing the acknowledgement.

I went to Gottigere BBMP office on 6th April to remit the tax for my daughter’s property situated in JP Nagar 9th phase.The server was down and there was no debit/credit card m/c to collect the payment. The person concerned asked to come next week after ascertaining whether the server is working or not.

In addition to this the person also told me to prove that my cheque is debited as they are unable to trace bounced cheques.

On 8th April, I went to Vidyaranyapura layout to pay another daughter’s property tax. Here the office was shifted from its last year’s location. I was told that the office has been shifted near a bus stop. I went there and was informed that the tax is not collected here and was asked to go to an office opposite to SBI in Vidyaranyapura. When I went there I was told that your block doesn’t comes under our jurisdiction and was asked to go to another office.

I went there and submitted my form which they rejected as I had not filled the application no of 2008-09. When I said that I have written the PID no and also last year’s app no. they said that they have not uploaded the info. Finally somebody helped me to locate the application no of 2008-09.

Then they refused to accept the cheque. I said I am ready to pay through the debit card. They said they don’t know how to operate and they have not been trained to use the machine. Finally they accepted the cheque and asked me to come after one week.

Points to ponder

If BBMP is not ready to accept from 1st APril, they should defer it.

If cheque is not acceptable, they should not insist on a DD as neither the payee nor the payer gets benefited. The banker gains. Instead of DD, they can ask the tax payers to deposit the money in any bank indicating the A/C no. The challan is produced to get the receipt if at all it is required.

Since it is meant to be self assessment, BBMP should accept the citizen’s declaration and accept the tax.

Nobody can add or construct a building without the plan approval.Hence BBMP knows whether any addition is there to the existing building. Only those people have to fill a new application form and the rest need not. This can save a lot of paper and related work.

Since the tax collection is computerised, the citizen should be able to pay the tax in any of the tax collection centres. The better solution is citizen friendly Bangalore One centres.

Every person sitting in tax collection centres has to be trained on customer service, so that tax payer can go out with a smile.

Comments:

  1. D R Prakash says:

    Dear CVS Sir,

    This is what we are fighting for. Our BBMP has no practical KNOWLEDGE / CAPACITY to handle the latest technology as well no INFRASTRUCTURE.

    They just want to BOAST of introducing something new, making the PROMPT tax payers a LAB-PIECE.

    Personally I am suggesting people to pay manually by cheques, which atleast is familiar with many of the officials handling this matter.

    ThanQ.

  2. Nagaraja Magonahalli says:

    I paid property tax by cheque on 21 apr 2010 at BsK 2nd stage, obtained receipt on counterfoil of appln duly. As usual system was own or some other reason no official was obtained aftr repeated visits. Entry in bank passbook is clear the cheque has been encashed on 29th Apr. Now system says tax for previous year due with interest and penalty. who is at fault-system or rev official or myself for having tried to pay tax promptly?

  3. Nagaraja Magonahalli says:

    Let me take the first opportunity to congratulate the new Mayor, smt Sharadamma for taking very wise decision of providing 5% rebate for the extended month also during May 2011. Providing rebate over the period of 60 days reduces rush as also strain for tax collecting officials. This may please be made a regular feature hereafter. The paper work be reduced by providing on-line collection of property tax in BBMP, silicon valley of India.

  4. D R Prakash says:

    Dear Mr.Nagaraja Magonahalli,

    I rightly say that, it is you who is at fault, not for paying your tax promptly on time, BUT breaking your head and checking it on the system.

    When you have paid and have the acknowledgement, you have to collect receipt after the time schedule, the officials at the counter have given (Maximum of a MONTH – Refer GUIDE TO PAYING PROPERTY TAX 2011-12). For your satisfaction, you have got your bank passbook entry done which reveals the payment. Then where is the need for you to check ON-LINE?

    It is computers, which have been programmed to keep adding additional revenues as per schedule. When your payment is not acknowledged by the computer (Not received computerised receipt) it is obvious.

    So please STOP tracking moment to moment and give AMPLE time for our EFFICIENT BBMP to do their bit of work at a GREAT SPEED, which SNAILS will beat.

    Break your head only when you receive any NOTICE.

    ThanQ

  5. GANESH BIDDAPPA says:

    Hi, I have started contructing my house during 2009-10 and completed on 04.02.2011. We have paid the property tax till 2010-11 on a/c of vacant plot by filling the Form-IV. last week I have approached BBMP to pay thje tax for the year 2011-12,and they said we have to fill the form V ,after inspection of the physical site/house by the revenue inspector. accordingly the RI inspected the premises and gave the property tax as per his caluclation.
    Today when we went to pay the tax he refused to taek it and instructed us to pay even for the last year tax as house property tax which we have already paid as site/ plot account during the contruction. My question is DO WE HAVE TO PAY HOUSE TAX FOR THE LAST YEAR EVEN WHEN IT WAS ON CONSTRUCTION ?

  6. D R Prakash says:

    Dear Mr.GB,
    A financial year is from April to March. If you had started constructing from 2009-10, what was the duration of construction? comes as a question.
    You say it got completed on 04th Feb.’11. What is the basis of your statement? When did you get your power / water & sanitary?
    At most you will have to submit Form V for second half of 2010-11 and Form IV for 2011-12.
    Without exact details, it is not right to give judgments.

  7. Nagaraja Magonahalli says:

    until construction gets completed only land tax is collected, no sooner sanitary connection is taken it is considered as occupied for the purposes of tax. A house never gets completed!
    ‘hudidare ole’
    ‘kudidare ganda’
    ‘maadidare mane’-never ending!

  8. Nagaraja Magonahalli says:

    Mr Prakash, I have been paying tax promply for three decades, no problem. in this case I had to leave for UsA, otherwise I know rules more clearly being a civil servant. In fact BBMP official had it appears telephoned in my absence to collect recpt, kind of them. What can one do sitting across the Globe, hence anxiety! Ultimately I paid tax very smoothly, he appreciated our plight, got my manually prepared recpt, this time I will try to get computerised recpt after a fortnight.Being instrumental in introducing computers in India I want to go for it as far as possible. Pl close it here. ThanQ for your advice.

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