Bengaluru, the Pub City and Garden City, could soon be called the Mall City too, going by the rapid pace at which their numbers are growing. The city is currently home to 107 malls and multiplexes and many more are vying for space on its crowded streets. But the BBMP, which boasts of having a Geographical Information System (GIS) to map properties across Bengaluru and bring them under the tax net, inexplicably, does not have a complete database on the malls and multiplexes that are today such a big part of its lifestyle, claims Yediyur corporator, N. R. Ramesh. Having done extensive research on these complexes that are a must for shopping today, he says the 107 currently occupy a built- up area of 14 crore sq. ft.
"If they are brought under the tax net the BBMP could earn over Rs 140 crore per annum. So why does it have such poor data on malls and multiplexes?" he wonders. "When the BBMP says it has identified 11 lakh properties to be taxed and promises to add six lakh more to them, it is strange that it is doing little to bring high value properties like malls under the tax net, " he says.
Mr Ramesh claims the BBMP is losing revenue also because revenue inspectors have been cheating it in property tax collection. “The BBMP revenue inspectors collect taxes from buildings but dont give it to the agency as they issue fake recipts,” he alleges. The top 10 shopping malls and hotels in the city, according to him , are the Forum Mall on Hosur Road, Bangalore Central and Garuda Mall on Commissariat Road, Total Mall and Leela Galleria on Old Airport Road, Lifestyle on Victoria Road, Globus in Koramangala, The Collection on Vittal Mallya Road, Mantri Square on Sampige Road, and Lido Mall near Trinity Circle.