BNP Urges BBMP to Revoke Unfair Property Tax Notices

Swift Summary

• Teh Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP) has criticised BBMP for issuing property tax notices deemed “arbitrary” and “legally flawed.”
• BNP claims that taxing stilt and open parking areas separately violates Supreme Court rulings and provisions under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA).
• BNP referenced a Supreme court ruling in Nahalchand Laloochand Pvt. Ltd.vs. Panchali Cooperative Housing Society that treats parking spaces as part of shared amenities,included in the super built-up area.
• BNP founder Srikanth Narasimhan argued residents already pay taxes on super built-up areas, which include these parking spots.
• Apartment owners have received retrospective tax notices leading to financial strain; the BBMP’s e-nyaya portal intended for responding to notices is non-functional.
• Area Revenue Officers (AROs) are allegedly refusing manual responses from citizens,further complicating appeals.
• H.L.N Prasad from BNP criticised BBMP’s handling as “mismanagement,” arguing it unfairly burdens law-abiding citizens.

Indian Opinion Analysis

BBMP’s decision to levy property taxes on common areas like stilt and open parking spaces could set a contentious precedent that contradicts established legal frameworks such as RERA regulations and past Supreme Court judgments. From a governance standpoint, this issue highlights critical gaps in administrative processes at BBMP-especially concerning their non-functioning e-Nyaya platform-leading to inefficiencies that affect citizen rights. Retrospective taxation worsens public trust by imposing unforeseen financial pressure on apartment owners with limited recourse available.

The situation reflects systemic challenges tied to revenue collection mechanisms in urban local bodies like BBMP.If unresolved promptly,it may result in widespread dissatisfaction among taxpayers while also raising questions about compliance with national-level judicial decisions and statutory provisions meant to guide civic administration practices.

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