Karnataka Deputy CM Admits To Declaring Less Property Area Than Actual

The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, D K Shivakumar, on Wednesday (21 June) made a controversial statement regarding the payment of property taxes in Bengaluru. He admitted to declaring "less than the actual" area when declaring his own properties.

Shivakumar stated, "... so, when declaring my properties, I declare less than the actual (area). Such things are there. People like us too are committing a lot of mistakes. All this should be streamlined."

The Bengaluru Development Minister's comments were made after the launch of a new website called 'Brand Bengaluru.' The website aims to gather suggestions from citizens to improve the city of Bengaluru.

In response to a question about raising the revenue for Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Shivakumar highlighted that many people were not paying property taxes.

He suggested that people should pay based on the built-up area and that the self-assessment scheme introduced by BBMP needs to be analysed to determine its effectiveness.

He further added that the power bill dues of BWSSB, after discounts, amounted to Rs 99 crore.