Bengaluru North City Commissioner Pommala Sunil Kumar presented the corporation’s first annual budget with a total outlay of ₹4,342.20 crore, prioritising infrastructure, health, and environment. This is the second biggest outlay among all the five corporations.
Given the corporation was projected to have the lowest property tax income base among the five corporations, it presenting a budget with an outlay bigger than the East Corporation that was projected to be the richest, has raised eyebrows. Though the large outlay is made possible by grants from the State and Union governments to the tune of ₹1039.53 crore, the corporation’s own revenues make up for three-fourths of the outlay.
While the Brand Bengaluru Committee estimated a property tax collection potential of ₹540 crore based on previous year’s collection, the corporation estimates it at ₹826.25 crore, which including cess and other related fees go up to ₹1112.99 crore.
The corporation also estimates a whopping ₹680 crore from B-Khata to A-Khata conversion fees and ₹420 crore from Premium FAR. In a bid to curb unauthorised advertising and flexes, the corporation has decided to impose a fine of twice the tendered amount. To boost revenue, the corporation has proposed on-street and off-street parking, with an expected revenue of ₹6 crore.
