RAWALPINDI, March 9: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board is contemplating not to increase property tax for the next three years, official sources told Dawn.

The consideration is being made to provide some relief to the residents who showed severe reaction over the recently-conducted triennial property tax assessment.

The delayed for about three years in the survey has resulted into a big increase in the property taxes. It will register a double increase, if another survey, due on July 1, 2002, is conducted.

The existing assessment will be ended on June 30, 2002. The next triennial assessment was scheduled to be held on July 1, 2002 to be effective upto June 30, 2005.

Apart from this, the civic body is also planning to review categorisation structure of its various sectors and remove anomalies.

This review is being carried out in response to the complaints from the people that their property taxes have been hiked beyond proportion in the triennial assessment held a few months back, the RCB chief executive officer Kh Iftikhar Mir told Dawn.

The RCB Assessment Committee has been directed to review the tax assessment of those taxpayers who alleged that their taxes are exorbitant, Mr. Mir said adding that special heed would be given to the complaints of the low-income groups.

He said the board was also considering some more relief for the residents of the flood-affected areas. “In this connection, the recommendations has been sent to the federal government.”