BMC announces 5% rebate for early holding tax payers, sets higher revenue target

Bhubaneswar, April 2: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced a 5% rebate for property owners who pay their holding tax for the 2025-26 financial year in advance through online mode by April 30. The civic body aims to encourage digital transactions and timely payments through this incentive.

“Residents and property owners making advance payments via the Bhubaneswar.me portal will receive a five per cent rebate,” BMC stated in an official notification.

To further streamline tax collection, BMC has set up 17 revenue camps across the city, operational from 10 AM to 5 PM on all working days throughout April. These camps will assist taxpayers in clearing their dues efficiently.

In the last fiscal year (2024-25), BMC collected ₹94 crore from holding/property tax, falling slightly short of the ₹100 crore target. However, this was ₹20 crore higher than the previous year’s collection. The strategy of publicly naming major defaulters, those owing over ₹50 lakh, is believed to have played a role in improving collections.

Holding tax is calculated based on the plinth area of a building, with different slabs for commercial and residential properties.

For 2025-26, BMC has set an ambitious target of ₹119.5 crore from holding/property tax and ₹15.8 crore from revenue generated through hoardings and advertisements on both government and private land.