Former BBMP Finance & Taxation Committee Chairman Manjunath Raju today called for immediate administrative action to strengthen Bengaluru’s property tax administration, urging civic authorities to fully utilize the city’s existing Property Identification Number (PID) and GIS-based property mapping system to improve tax compliance and enhance municipal revenue collection.
The statement follows recent observations by Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda that the city has approximately 35 lakh properties, while property tax is currently being collected from only about 18 lakh properties and official records account for only around 20 lakh properties. According to Raju, the figures highlight the need to strengthen implementation of systems that were originally developed to improve transparency and expand the city’s property tax base.
Raju noted that Bengaluru previously addressed similar challenges through the introduction of the Property Identification Number (PID), a GIS-based digital identity assigned to individual properties. The initiative combined satellite mapping, field verification and digital records to create a more transparent and accountable property tax administration system.
According to Raju, the implementation of the PID system significantly expanded Bengaluru’s property tax database, increasing the number of identified taxable properties from approximately 7.4 lakh to more than 16 lakh while substantially improving annual property tax collections. He stated that the initiative demonstrated how technology, supported by effective governance and administrative commitment, can improve both transparency and municipal revenue generation.
Raju emphasized that Bengaluru already possesses the technological infrastructure required to strengthen tax administration. He believes the current challenge lies not in developing new technology but in maintaining, updating and consistently implementing existing systems across civic departments.
“Technology is only as effective as the governance that supports it,” said Manjunath Raju. “The systems required to improve compliance already exist. The priority now should be ensuring that these systems are updated, integrated and consistently implemented so that every eligible property is fairly included within the tax framework.”
According to Raju, improved tax compliance is directly linked to the city’s ability to invest in roads, storm-water drains, public parks, footpaths and other essential civic infrastructure. He noted that improving revenue collection through better administration can contribute to more sustainable urban development without increasing the tax burden on compliant property owners.
As part of his recommendations, Raju proposed several measures to strengthen Bengaluru’s property tax administration, including integrating existing PID records with updated GIS mapping and utility databases, making PID the standard property identifier across civic departments, publishing ward-level tax coverage dashboards, conducting regular independent database audits and establishing clear administrative accountability for maintaining accurate property records.
Raju stated that Bengaluru has already demonstrated the effectiveness of digital governance in municipal administration and believes renewed institutional commitment to maintaining these systems can improve transparency, strengthen revenue collection and support the city’s long-term infrastructure development.
About Manjunath Raju
Manjunath Raju is the former Chairman of the BBMP Finance & Taxation Committee. During his tenure, he led initiatives focused on strengthening Bengaluru’s property tax administration through digital governance, including the implementation of the Property Identification Number (PID) system to improve transparency, accountability and revenue collection.
