PESHAWAR, Sept 16: The NWFP government has managed to collect only Rs152 under non-tax receipt head of abiana against Rs375 million target for 2001-02, registering a shortfall of Rs223 million, according to official sources here on Monday.

The target also included over Rs160 m arrears accumulated over the years under this vital head of provincial own receipts.

The shortfall would be made part of the recovery target set for the 2002-03 financial year under this head.

The sources said that the Rs223m amount also includes part of the sum, which the provincial government could not recover as certain parts of the province had been declared as calamity hit areas thereby suspending collection of provincial receipts pertaining to agriculture sector.

The provincial government, according to its budgetary estimates, has set a target of Rs300m under the abiana head for the 2002-03 financial year which also include part of the arrears in addition to the fresh demand and the impact of upward revision in the rate of abiana.

In line with an understanding reached under an agreement between a federal government of the past and international donor agencies, provinces have to effect 25 per cent increase in the abiana rates.

According to the sources, the 20001-02 abiana could not even match the amount the province had raised in the 2000-01. The province had raised around Rs190m under abiana during the 2000-01 financial year—Rs38m more than it has raised during the 2001-02 financial year. The amount raised during the last financial year was even less than what the provincial government had raised under this head during the 1999-2000 financial year. It had recovered Rs172m in the 1999-2000 financial year.

The sources said the shortfall was against the expectations of the authorities concerned in view of the improvement the tax collection authorities had recorded under this head during the first half of the last financial year.

The provincial government had raised over Rs70m during the first six months of the last financial year whereas during the second half the province raised a total of Rs52m.