KARACHI, Feb 2: The entire Motor Vehicle Tax (MVT) record would be completely computerized, said Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation, Rauf Siddiqi, at a radio press conference on Sunday.

He said that to reduce the workload on the Motor Vehicle Registration Wing at Civic Centre Karachi, Rule 22 of 1959 had been amended, whereby the MVT would have to be deposited at MVT offices in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana.

He said that in one day alone a collection of Rs11.80 million was achieved at Civic Centre and in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Larkana.

He said his priority was to increase revenues, but not at the cost of the people. He said he was surprized when he came to know that only two years back the property tax was raised by 300 per cent. He said this was no way to generate revenue, as it led to corruption.

“if we need to increase the revenues, then the tax should be cut down and the tax base broadened.

If today there are 5000 tax payers, take this number to 100,000— and this will be possible only when the tax is reduced,” he said.

Replying to a question he said the MVT should go to the local government. He said discrimination gives rise to a sense of deprivation, and for this reason a comprehensive debate on the NFC issue was allowed in the Sindh Assembly.

To another question Mr Rauf Siddiqi said he had issued strict warnings with regard to the issuance of illegal notices to widows for property tax.

He said he had also taken strict notice of the issuance of inflated property tax challans with mala fide intentions.—APP