Realty Housing

I was glad when I saw the new link in the BBMP site for online tax payment. However I was disappointed with major issues that exist. First,  I am not able to generate form IV after making online payment of tax.  I always get the message "unable to connect to server". Second, the system displays a message to collect the original signed receipt from ARO. I understand from the local ward office at Lazar Road that ARO has not received connectivity for generating receipts for online payment. This is another disappointment. In another case,  I generated Form IV for another…

BBMP has introduced new application forms IV and V  for the year 2009-10 and updated the online calculator in their website.  I have found the following anomalies in both and wrote to the Commissioner, DC Revenue and other officials . So far nobody has replied; none of the  mistakes have yet been corrected. The anomalies are going to affect the entire public in the BBMP areas as the rules and columns in the forms and calculator are contradictory.            #1.  The Instructions to the Tax Payer at S.No.2 in the Forms state that "Depreciation cannot be claimed for 2009-10 and 2010-11…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has released a list of  property owners who have paid the property tax for their properties for the year 2008-09 on their website. I do appreciate the efforts they have put to collate the enormous amount of data, but the list is defective in several aspects.It is very difficult to locate one's name in the list due to the following reasons:Mismatch in addressesThe ARO office, the Ward Name and the Street given in the website do not match with what was given in the property tax application form. The result is that you may possibly…

Residents living in select premium housing segments in the city - including Palm Meadows on the Marathahalli-Whitefield Road and Chaithanya Samarpan on the Whitefield-Hoskote Road have been receiving undervaluation notices from the sub-registrar's office. What are undervaluation notices? Who sends them out and on what grounds? What should home owners do when they receive such notices? Citizen Matters tried to find the answers. The Chaithanya Samarpan gated community on the Whitefield-Hoskote Road, is a 5-minute drive from the Whitefield Railway Station. (Pic: Savita Kini) The District Registrar of Stamps, under Section 45-A of the Karnataka Stamp Act 1957, is entitled…

Real estate activity contributes significantly to the overall economic output in India, as it does in most economies across the globe. The sub prime crisis in the US, triggered by the high default rate of sub prime home loan borrowers, has snowballed into an economic crisis that has pulled most of the world into its grip. The co-relation and co-existence of a flourishing real estate sector with a healthy economy has never been more obvious than it is now.  Here’s a reality check on the situation in Namma Bengaluru. (File Pic: Meera K) Cause and effect of the last two…

We recently  concluded a successful property tax drive at our apartment complex, Rohan Vasantha in Marathahalli. Initially, we had contacted the BBMP helpline and got guidance on how to fill the form. However, certain points like zone classifications were not clear. So we contacted the BBMP officials, Assistant Commissioner Vasanth Rao and Deputy Commisioner Heera Naik. My neighbours Avinash Kalmani, Vasanth Kelkar, Nitin Kabra & I (Keshav Prabhu) met them. They helped us fill one form. We sent the reference form to all residents in our community of 540 houses. We got 300 forms and kept it in the club house.…

It would be good if BBMP help centres adopt a standardised approach for calculation, filling of forms and issue of receipts. Presently there is a lot of misunderstanding and failure of supervision by revenue officials at the help centers that are leading to confusion and sufferings for the tax payers...young and old. I had sent a letter to the BBMP commissioner on 9th March, which has not been acknowledged as yet. Note: I had earlier pointed out a serious error in the online calculator as it had not taken the multiplying factor of 10 in the UAV for car parking…

Here is a spreadsheet for calculating tax payable for self occupied/tenanted apartments that gives you step by step calculation for entry in the appropriate columns in the application form once you fill up the basic data needed. Click here to download the MS Excel spreadsheet tool with calculations for property tax for 2008-2009 for apartments. Note: It has two tabs …one for self occupied and the other for tenant occupied. Rows 11 to 16 (highlighted in yellow) are for data entries. Insert appropriate values in column B. Refer to hand book, area help center or website to find out the…

The BBMP has recently decided and communicated its method and metrics for property tax collection from Bangaloreans. The reclassification of tax zones has led to an increase of at least 33 per cent for all properties whose zonal classification has changed. And the new tax policy keeps revising once every 3 years, with a mandatory 15 per cent increase. The Citizens Action Forum of Bangalore is taking objection to the new scheme.BackgroundProperty Tax has been bothering the citizens of Bengaluru for more than a year now. And even after a year the confusion has not lessened. Probably what has changed…

Here below is the simple, safe and sure declaration of paying property tax.1. Purchase an application at the area Revenue office, priced at Rs.5/- one each for different properties (In case of more properties - one for each corporation number)2. Purchase one Hand Book priced at Rs.20/-3. Demand an Appendix to hand book (Zone Classifications) of your area.4. Go through the same calmly and understand the columns.5. Measure your property in British system (Feet / Inches) - Note down the dimensions.6. Differentiate the area as per year of construction, if constructed at different periods.7. Differentiate the area as per the…