A concerning trend has emerged in Belagavi city, with nearly 40% of property owners failing to clear their property tax dues during the 2025-26 financial year, raising serious questions about revenue recovery and administrative efficiency.
As reported by sources within the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC), the city has a total of 166,178 registered properties. Out of these, property tax dues for only 95,829 properties have been paid, with the list of defaulters comprising private residential, commercial, educational, and even government establishments.
This situation persists despite repeated assertions of financial discipline and enhanced revenue collection. In the 2025-26 period, BCC succeeded in collecting Rs 70.8 crore in property tax, which represents an increase of merely Rs 1.3 crore compared to the previous year, indicating only marginal progress in enforcement. The corporation had originally established a collection target of Rs 78 crore, in addition to Rs 11 crore in arrears.
However, with actual collections falling significantly short, a considerable revenue gap remains, primarily due to widespread non-payment by property owners. Officials recognize that the low recovery rate has adversely affected the corporation’s financial planning and its capacity to finance development projects. This situation has also raised questions about the performance of the revenue department. For the 2026-27 financial year, the property tax collection target has been increased to Rs 85 crore.
With an additional Rs 7 crore anticipated in arrears, the total recovery target is expected to surpass Rs 92 crore. Faced with a growing backlog and ongoing non-compliance, the corporation is now under increasing pressure to enhance enforcement measures and address the expanding revenue gap.
