June 28, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 12, 1428

MARDAN, June 27: Mardan Nazim Himayatullah Khan Mayar presented a budget of Rs2.325 billion for 2007-8 here on Wednesday amid boycott of the district council session by 25 union council nazims.

New taxes of Rs47 million have been levied on private schools, hospitals, petrol pumps, mobile phone shops and marble and furniture factories. An honorarium of Rs2,000 per month was announced for councillors.

A tax of Rs10 to Rs20 has been imposed on admission fee of the educational institutions, the amount collected will be used for coping with natural disasters.

In the budget, Rs51.863 million has been allocated for the Provincial Financial Commission and Rs114.784 million for development expenditure.

Mr Mayar said all the ‘ghost’ schools had been made functional and a passport office and a Darul Aman for helpless women established, for which the district government would provide funds. He said the amount of the budget was Rs22.38 million higher than that of last year.