PESHAWAR: The department of excise and taxation has launched Independent Property Survey (IPS) in the provincial capital to help redress the complaints of the people in general and the trading community in particular and introduce a transparent tax system.

According to secretary excise and taxation Zafar Ali Shah, earlier the property tax survey was carried out by the officials of the excise department, but there were rampant complaints by the property owners regarding wrong calculation of tax.

He said that to ensure simplification of the tax system and transparency, the responsibility of conducting the survey of the property tax had been awarded to a private company through proper tendering process with a view to redressing the reservations and complaints of the people.

Mr Shah said that the independent survey would not only minimise the burden of wrong and additional taxes on small property owners, but would also bring into the tax net the big property holders.

During the survey, he said all the properties would be registered on the GIS location while e-payments would also be introduced.

The survey will help increase the provincial receipts, he noted.

Meanwhile, the director general excise has requested the people to extend full cooperation to the independent survey teams as the purpose of the exercise was to redress the public complaints, abolish illegal taxes and introduce fair and transparent property tax.

The GIS survey is initially continuing in Peshawar while tenders for conducting similar survey in Nowshera and Mardan have already been advertised and the exercise will begin shortly.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2020