RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) will not increase property tax and water tariff in the next fiscal year despite its weak financial condition.

A senior official of the RCB told Dawn that the elected members of the civic body were against an increase in the property tax and water tariff and wanted the RCB to improve its tax recovery.

He said the residents had pinned high hopes on the elected members that they would solve their problems but the increase in water charges during the last a few years created resentments against the members.

“RCB affairs are being run by the civilian and military bureaucracy and the role of the elected members is limited to giving suggestions only. All the 10 elected members belong to the ruling PML-N and they have decided to stop the civic body from imposing any tax keeping in view the general elections next year,” said an elected member of the RCB.

He said there was a need to provide maximum facilities to the residents but the civic agency faced a shortage of funds. He said the tax recovery campaign in the RCB areas was slow as the staff was busy in census duties.

Elected members active to stop civic agency from increasing any tax

The member said last year the RCB failed to launch any development project. “The Khanpur Dam Water Supply Project Phase-III is still incomplete which was supposed to be completed by 2012,” he said, citing shortage of funds as the main reason for the delay.

He said the RCB officials had asked the elected members and local lawmakers to get grant from the federal and Punjab governments so that development projects could be launched. But the members brought grant in-aid which was spent through the communication and works department, not by the RCB.

When contacted, RCB spokesman Qaisar Mehmood said the civic agency was preparing the budget in which a handsome amount would be allocated for development schemes.

“No new tax will be imposed on the residents in the next fiscal year and the property tax and water tariffs will remain unchanged.”

He said the tax recovery campaign continued in the cantonment area and the RCB had managed to achieve the targets set for the property tax and water charges.

He said Rs560 million was the target for property tax and 87pc of the amount had been collected while Rs140 million had been collected against the target of Rs180 million under the water supply charges. Besides, Rs4 million were set as the professional tax target and Rs3.7 million had already been collected. Moreover, 85pc of the Rs48 million to be collected from cellular phone companies as the tower fee has been received.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2017