KARACHI, Aug 27: The Worldwide Express, operators of the Metro coaches and buses in Karachi, have served a notice on the Karachi Public Transport Society (KPTS), its regulatory body, that they are going to discontinue the service to press the government for exempting them from certain taxes.
Official sources said the Worldwide Express served the notice on the KPTS through its administrator on June 7 according to which they intended to discontinue the operations on route 9-A (Malir Cantonment to Saddar via University Road) and 9-A Express (Malir Cantonment to Tower via University Road) after one month while all other operations on different routes would be discontinued after three months.
The firm has already stop its operation of route 9-A as per its notice after a month, however, 9-A Express continues to run. The three-month notice period for closing other operations will expire on Sept 6, the sources added.
The firm has listed various charges, duties, taxes and expenses and described them an ‘unbearable burden’. These include service charges to the KPTS, payment of income tax, route permit fee, fitness certificate fee, excise tax, parking charges to cantonment boards, concession in fares to defence personnel, providing bus facility to schoolchildren of defence personnel on concession in fares and also the social security and employees old-age benefits to the employees of the firm.
The Worldwide Express stresses more on exemption of social security and old-age benefits. The KPTS and the Sindh secretary for transport had assured the firm that the matter would be taken up with the authorities concerned for a lenient view. However, no commitment was made as the social security and old-age benefit laws are to protect the rights of workers.
Moreover, at the time of launching of the Metrobuses, the agreement signed envisaged that the transporter shall be responsible for the payment of fines, token tax, toll tax and other charges payable under the law.
The sources said the Worldwide Express was registered and notified under both laws relating to SESSI and EOBI and had been making payments to them.
The authorities are trying to resolve the issue somehow and according to a proposal a settlement would be arranged between SESSI and EOBI. The issue was to be discussed at the governing body of the KPTS on August 26 but the meeting had to be postponed. — PPI