Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday told the Karnataka High Court that ₹20.59 crore has been collected towards advertisement tax with respect to 441 hoardings between December 5 and December 31, 2016 as against the total due of ₹331.19 crore.
However, Justice Vineet Kothari, who is hearing a batch of petitions filed by advertising agencies questioning various aspects of assessment of tax, asked the BBMP to expedite the process of collection in terms of the interim order passed by the court on December 5 last year on the manner in which payment of tax has to be made during the pendency of the petitions.
Noticing that the amount realised is very meagre when compared to the total demand, the court said that if advertising agencies fail to co-operate in the adjudication process or BBMP officials fail to do their duty, they will have to face the consequences.
Earlier, BBMP counsel Sreenidhi V., submitting a status report, said that the civic agency has said that officials are at work to give effect to the court’s directions, which includes removal of unauthorised hoardings.
Meanwhile, it has been stated in the report that many agencies are paying lesser amount than the total tax demanded from them and the BBMP is accepting the amount submitted by them by issuing an endorsement of the balance amount to be paid by them. The BBMP has also made necessary changes in the online and offline system to receive tax from the agencies as per the court’s interim order, the report stated. The BBMP had collected only ₹4.39 crore till December 5.
On the action taken against illegal advertisement hoardings, the BBMP has stated that 1,841 unauthorised advertisement hoardings have been removed and action is under way to remove another 605.
The court has adjourned further hearing to January 25 and asked the BBMP to submit another status report on the collection of tax.
