10 Bengaluru malls evade BBMP taxes to tune of Rs 63 crore

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Several malls in the city failed to pay property tax to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the civic body, and evaded tax amassing worth Rs 63.83 crore.

This comes amidst a challenging financial landscape that the BBMP faces an uphill battle in settling bills with contractors for completed works, while the city’s esteemed malls hold substantial property tax arrears amounting to crores of rupees.

It is alleged that despite repeated notices, account seizures, and enforcement efforts, mall proprietors remain defiant, leaving the BBMP with mounting unpaid dues.

Recent figures from the BBMP highlight a concerning trend, with a total of 10 malls collectively amassing an outstanding property tax debt of a staggering Rs 63.83 crore as of the 6th of the month.

Prominent among these defaulting establishments are Central Mall near Bellandur, Rockline Mall, and Mantri Mall, which have notably evaded adequate taxation for the fiscal years 2012-13, 2015-16, and 2017-18, respectively.

In a bid to recover these overdue funds, the BBMP revenue department took stringent measures, locking down the Mantri Mall in Malleswaram multiple times and even resorting to bank account confiscation.

While some progress was made, a significant Rs 40.66 crore remained unpaid, underscoring the substantial scale of the challenge at hand.

In response, the BBMP is diligently issuing notices to mall owners, invoking the provisions of Section 147 of the KMC Act 1976 and Section 148 of the BBMP Act 2020 to demand the settlement of long-standing property tax obligations.