HARIPUR, May 28: The Tehsil Municipal Administration Haripur is contemplating to bring as many as 49 new services and items in the tax net, official sources told Dawn here the other day.

The new levies which were to be put before the Tehsil assembly in the coming session were estimated at Rs100,000.

The TMA had a month back imposed taxes on 18 items, including nurseries, CNGs, petrol pumps, wholesale dealers and signboards. These taxes were also endorsed by the Tehsil assembly house when okayed by the house’s finance committee.

According to a proposal prepared by the tax branch of the TMA, the 49 services/items include: Rs2,000 per annum for timber to be used in buildings, paint sellers Rs500, stationery stalls Rs500, window glass sellers Rs500, fridge TV shops Rs500, plastic wares Rs500, electronic shops Rs1,000, computer centres with internet Rs500, money changers Rs1,000, water dealers Rs500, groundnut bakers Rs300, private medical labs Rs2,000, private hospitals Rs10,000, private primary schools Rs5,000, photostat shops Rs500, tyre agencies Rs2,000, trunk houses Rs500, sewing machine sellers Rs500, auto spare parts Rs1,500, wheel balancing Rs500, tanner collectors Rs500, service stations Rs1,000, germicide sellers Rs1,000, PCOs Rs500, scrape godowns Rs1,000, spaceports rickshaws/motorbikes Rs1,000, foam carpet sellers Rs2,600, carpet weaving houses Rs2,000, salt grinders Rs500, printing press Rs3,000, goods forwarding agencies Rs5,000, painter and denter, mechanical workshop Rs500, sports house Rs500, dairy farms/food godowns Rs1,000, optic shops Rs1,000, saw machines Rs2,000, poultry shops/fish shops Rs 1,000, marble chips factories Rs5,000, construction items (shuttering) Rs1,000, cement agencies Rs500, iron bar sellers Rs500, sanitary shops Rs1,000, private middle schools Rs5,000, private high schools Rs5,000, tent services Rs5,000.

Though the new tax schedule was yet to be approved by the house, the local circles have termed the decision wrong. “Don’t they know how a common man was already grinding under ever skyrocketing prices of other items which have almost made it unbearable for them,” said Sikandar, a small shopkeeper of the city while commenting on the proposed new taxes of the TMA.

Another shopkeeper, who runs a poultry shop in the city, when contacted for comments, expressed the same views, adding that since the people were already paying different kinds of indirect taxes on almost each item and service the new taxes by the TMA would have chilling effect on the consumers.