PESHAWAR: Rejecting the substantial increase in various property and other taxes, real estate dealers of Hayatabad have warned the provincial government of protests if the levies were not withdrawn.

Addressing at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, a member of Hayatabad Residents Society, Nawab Khattak, charged the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) with having increased property tax rates by 100 to 200 per cent against the open market rate, which was completely unjust and discriminatory. He further said the increase was also against the corporate governance.

Similarly, he said PDA had also increased various fees, including violation fee, transfer fee, non-users charges, development, map fees, water and road crossing charges.

Mr Khattak said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in general, and Peshawar in particular, had immensely suffered due to constant acts of terrorism. “The government should accord top priority to giving monetary relief to terrorism-stricken people of the province instead of imposing irrational and unjust taxes on them,” he maintained.

Flanked by other property dealers of Hayatabad, Mr Khattak said a delegation had tried to meet the DG PDA to convey their reservations over the imposition of high property taxes in Hayatabad, but the officer refused to meet with them.

Mr Khattak also expressed concern over increase in property taxes by the Federal Board of Revenue across the country due to which the property transfer fee had increased substantially.

He argued that the rates of property tax had been reduced by 100 to 700 per cent in other provinces, while these rates had been increased in KP.

Responding to the charges, PDA Director General Saleem Watto, however, said the property taxes were levied by the KP Excise & Development Authority and not the PDA.

He said the increase in various fees was revised after a lapse of seven to eight years. “The revision was made in Oct 2015, but the protest was prompted now?” he asked.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2016