A day after Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) unveiled plans to launch a city-wide campaign to update its property tax records, officials on Friday said they are yet to receive official word on the matter.
As per the announcement, the BMC plans to identify all properties not paying tax and also those that are not paying municipal taxes under correct and updated slabs in a comprehensive zone-wise and ward-level survey of the city.
Nearly half of Bhopal’s 10 lakh taxable properties are purportedly not contributing to the corporation’s revenue. Many properties have also grown over time without their tax valuations being updated. Officials say that property tax records at the civic body are based on self-declarations by property owners as well as ground-level surveys conducted by municipal workers. A decision to increase property tax by 10 percent was taken at the budget meeting of the civic body on Thursday. The decision affects 5.62 lakh taxpayers who will now pay Rs 3,500 for a 1,000-square-foot flat that earlier attracted Rs 3,200 annually.
Despite the hike, the corporation continues to face significant deficits in its Rs 3,611.75 crore budget. It has raised three major taxes—property, water, and solid waste—to bridge the gap. Speaking to The Pioneer on condition of anonymity, officials said that details of the campaign will be worked out only after orders are received from the Municipal Commissioner.
