ISLAMABAD, June 8: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) may not achieve its revenue target as it is facing a shortfall of Rs156 million while the financial year is near to end, informed sources told Dawn.
The CDA’s revenue directorate has so far collected Rs394 million in lieu of property tax and water charges against the total target of Rs550 million. However, a senior official in the directorate told this reporter that tax collection might increase to Rs425 million by June 30.
The authority also faced a huge revenue shortfall (Rs100 million) last year, the official said.
The directorate is all set to refer the list of over 5,000 residential and commercial property/water tax defaulters to CDA special magistrate for recovery of outstanding dues from them, the sources said.
They said the defaulters owe million of rupees to the CDA for which the directorate had issued final notices, warning them to clear all outstanding amounts by June 30, otherwise, strict action would be taken against them under the Land and Revenue Act 1967.
The official said only residential taxpayers had to pay around Rs4 million. The CDA during previous fiscal year had introduced special tax remission package for the capital’s residents to clear their outstanding dues.
However, the sources ruled out such kind of incentive by the directorate adding no new tariff would be imposed on the citizens.
Meanwhile, the CDA magistrate has issued attachment orders to hundreds of tax defaulters under which their property will be confiscated to recover the dues, the sources said.
The defaulters had already been served final notices by the magistrate to pay the CDA outstanding but they were unable to clear the amount despite expiry of the deadline.
The CDA magistrate, Malik Tariq Raheem, has served 2,600 attachment notices to the defaulters living in sectors F-6, 7, 8 and 10 and owners of several plazas in Blue Area. They have to pay approximately Rs200 million.
The sources said the magistrate had constituted raiding teams comprising CDA officials and police personnel to start survey, vacate, and seal the property possessed by the defaulters and confiscate it under Section 85 of CDA’s Land and Revenue Act, 1967. The defaulters’ property will be auctioned if they failed to clear the dues.
The directorate has intensified its campaign against the property tax defaulters and recovered over Rs10 million from commercial, industrial and residential defaulters during two months.