Paying property tax has become unexpectedly tricky for apartment owners in Bengaluru this year, as a new set of questions on waste management has left them guessing their way through the form.
Residents of apartment complexes, which are treated as bulk waste generators, have been told to specify how their waste is handled. They have to choose whether it is processed within the premises, handed over to an authorised agency, or not processed through either route.
However, what is most frustrating for residents is that the form seeks daily waste generation figures across multiple categories — wet, dry, sanitary and special waste — and also how much of it is processed. Residents say they do not keep track of this.
Residents argue that waste in apartment complexes is collected together and managed at a common point with no flat-wise measurement, adding that they are being forced to put down approximate numbers simply to complete the process. These entries directly impact the tax payable. If no processing method is selected, the system calculates the solid waste management fee by taking the declared daily quantity and projecting it across the year, adding the amount to the property tax.
Under the updated property tax portal, residents are first required to indicate whether they fall under the bulk waste generator category. The category options are apartment complexes with over 100 units, commercial establishments producing more than 100 kg of waste a day, and properties spread across more than 5,000 square metres.
