KARACHI: Senior citizens to get relief in property tax
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 8: Sindh minister for excise and taxation Rauf Siddiqui said on Tuesday that a bill seeking amendment to the Sindh Urban Immovable Property Tax Act, 1958, would shorty be moved in the Sindh Assembly to provide a relief in the property tax to widows, orphans, disabled and retired government officials from July 1.
Referring to a recent cabinet decision whereby ceiling of annual rental value for determining property tax of houses belonging to widows, minor orphans, disabled persons and retired government officials had been increased from Rs 10,000 to 24,000, he said though his department had recommended some relief to senior citizens also, the cabinet decided to take up the issue in the next phase.
Asked whether the relaxation in property tax provided to a widow would also be applicable to a divorced woman, the minister reluctantly replied that this issue might also be taken up at some later stage.
About a corrupt practice of issuing fake and exorbitant challans of property tax, he said the excise and taxation officials have been directed to shun such illegal practices.
They have been directed to set up counters at all offices of the department to help provide information about property tax to citizens. Booklets containing information about property and motor vehicle taxes would also be published in Urdu and Sindhi, he said.
Moreover, negotiations are under way with the Habib Bank for increasing its branches and the bank had offered to designate as much as 50 branches for receiving taxes in the province. He said other banks interested in facilitating tax-payers would also be welcomed.
A newsman suggested that corrupt practices in the excise department can be brought to an end if property tax is fixed on the pattern of water charges bills, issued on the basis of size of plots in the case of houses and covered area in the case of flats. The minister agreed to the proposal and said he would put up the proposal at the next meeting of the department.
Voicing concern over use of narcotics among youths, he said his department had launched a vigorous campaign against drug dens throughout the province and the excise police have been directed to improve their intelligence wing so that only real culprits are apprehended in their targeted raids, and no family members are harassed.
He deplored the use of narcotics among youth, and said if the menace was not immediately checked, it would play a havoc.
He said that the concerned officials have been asked not to succumb to any pressure in smashing narcotics dens.
He said during their campaign against narcotics, the department seized 2,414 bottles of imported liquor, 631 kgs of charas, 25 kgs of heroin, besides impounding 16 vehicles which were being used for the movement of narcotics.
At the outset, the minister expressed his gratitude to Sindh chief minister Ali Mohammad Mahar and other cabinet ministers for extending full cooperation in approving his ministry’s recommendations viz a viz relief to widows, minor orphans, disabled persons and retired government officials.
The department, he said, would soon finalize online banking arrangements to facilitate the vehicle owners in depositing the MVT in the province.
