Bengaluru: Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has been quietly collecting additional cess on top of regular property tax, and to make matters more puzzling, this extra charge has recently seen a noticeable hike. What has added to taxpayers’ frustration is not the increase, but the complete lack of clarity about it: Not even some officials within the civic authority know why the cess is being collected!That’s a major red flag, BDA property ownerspointed out. “Any authority collecting a cess must clearly state the purpose for which it is being collected,” said HD Arun Kumar, a former additional commissioner of the state’s commercial taxes department. “A cess is essentially a tax, but it’s not just any tax — it’s levied for a specific, declared purpose. That’s why we have terms like ‘education cess’ or ‘library cess.’ The taxpayer deserves to know what exactly they’re funding,” Kumar said.BDA is yet to specify the purpose of the cess being collected.A BDA official, not willing to be identified, said his agency’s near-empty coffers have prompted it to effect a steep hike in property taxes for 2025-26 alongside steps to recover dues.BDA has targeted to mop up about Rs 100 crore in tax from the property owners to part-fund the completion of theNada Prabhu Kempegowda Layout, the official said.Though BDA claims that 80% of the project work at NPKL is complete, the real picture tells a different story. Mounting costs from both ongoing and previous projects have forced the hike, the official added. “It’s been increased arbitrarily,” the official admitted.