RAWALPINDI, May 6: There has been 33 per cent raise in the tax collected by the Excise and Taxation Office (ETO), Rawalpindi. This was stated by a taxation official who briefed the Punjab minister for excise and taxation , Dr Mohammad Shafiq, on Thursday.

The minister paid a surprise visit to the Excise and Taxation Office and inquired about its working. The deputy director (excise and taxation), Akram Ashraf Gondal, briefed the provincial minister about revenue collected by the department during this year so far.

The deputy director informed the provincial minister that there had been 33 per cent raise in collection of excise tax as compare to the corresponding period in 2003. Similarly, there had been 19 per cent raise in motor vehicle tax, seven per cent in property tax, 36 per cent in excise duty and 21 per cent in hotel tax collection this year.

The provincial minister, Dr Shafiq, also inquired about public complaints and directed the concerned officials "to redress public problems, if they had any". A large number of people who had been in the office gathered around the minister and appraised him about difficulties being faced by them due to the snail pace of working of the ETO staff.