HARIPUR, June 30: The Tehsil Municipal Council on Saturday approved with a majority vote new tax proposals for the fiscal year 2007-08 on different services provided by the council.

Convener Syed Ahsan Shah chaired the session of the council. After endorsing the proceedings of previous session, the floor was given to regulation committee chairman Sahibzada Pir Atta-ur-Rehman who presented the recommendations of the committee for new taxes.

Providing the breakdown of the tax proposal, Mr Rehman said that owing to council’s commitment of giving a face lift to the city, the imposition of new taxes was necessary. However, he added, the proposal also carried some downward revision in some taxes that had already been approved by the council.

The taxes that witnessed upward revision included potable water for commercial purpose and cable operators. The downward revision was approved on the loading and unloading fee for tractor trolleys and transfer fee of shops

Some members of the council, including Raja Ehtesham, Ms Rubina Shaheen, Ms Razia Jahfri, Raja Azam, Gul Ambrin Minhas, Mlik Razmat Khan, opposed the new taxes.

Terming the decision unjustified, they said that the federal and provincial governments had not imposed new taxes in their budgets, adding that the council’s taxes would be tantamount to putting extra burden on city dwellers. They demanded cancellation of the decision.

When the house was approving the tax proposals, Raja Ehtesham staged a walkout. Qazi Farooq, Sleh Muhammad, Prof Muhammad Din Liaqat Hayat supported the proposal, but demanded lowering the ratio of taxes.

Tehsil Nazim Iftikhar Ahmed Khan said that enhancement of the council’s income resources was necessary for providing maximum basic amenities to the residents of 37 union councils of Haripur.

He said that for generating income on sustainable basis, the council had planned to build commercial plazas near Main Chowk, Civil Hospital, old city police post, Sir Syed hostel and some other places. The council was expected to earn Rs200 million to 250 million annually from these projects, he added.