LAHORE, Feb 19: The Councillors’ Alliance criticized the city district government’s budget on Tuesday, saying it burdened every citizen with taxes totalling Rs674 and while planning to spend only Rs366 per head on education, health and community development, inclusive of administrative costs.

Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Labour Party offices here, Alliance members Roomana Tabassum, Sajida Ilyas, Ahmad Ali, Hamida Sharif and Moeen Nawaz Punnoon said Rs308 proposed to be recovered from every citizen in the form of taxes on 134 kinds of ‘services’ were not accounted for in the budget.

They said the government expected to raise Rs196.61 million from local taxes, Rs40.8 million from miscellaneous heads and Rs106.7 million from property tax and auctions in addition to the funds expected to be received from the provincial government for development schemes, and Social Action and Khushhal Pakistan Programmes. It would, however, spare only 10 percent of the funds for development works and spend 56 percent on establishment. — Reporter