DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Doctors from Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts on Sunday unanimously announced their resolve to resist the imposition of a two per cent sales tax by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) on the fee paid by the patients and a directive from the Federal Board of Revenue requiring the installation of Point-of-Sale (POS) devices in private clinics.

They made the announcement during a meeting held at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital here. The doctors also formed the Dera chapter of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Doctors Council to lead legal, public, and institutional resistance against the measures.

The participants said the medical community responded to the notices issued under sections 29 and 31 of the relevant KPRA statute in February through proper legal channels, subsequently filed a petition before Peshawar High Court’s Dera Bench, and secured a stay order against the enforcement of the tax.

They added that they submitted a copy of the order to the KPRA office, but the authority instructed the doctors to collect two per cent levy on fee charged from patients.

Also reject FBR directive to install POS devices at private clinics

The participants cited the Federal Finance Act, which explicitly exempts service providers, including doctors and lawyers, from provincial taxation of this nature. They further noted that doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa already pay annual professional tax at rates considerably higher than those applicable in Punjab.

The speakers questioned why lawyers, who are equally classified as service providers under the law, had been issued neither POS installation notices nor comparable tax demands.

On the matter of the mandatory POS installation, the participants highlighted that implementation of such a system requires continuous electricity supply, stable internet connectivity, backup power systems (including batteries/solar) and additional trained computer operators.

They noted that these requirements would ultimately increase the financial burden on patients by raising consultation and treatment costs. The meeting adopted a resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of the two per cent tax on patients and the suspension of the mandatory POS installation directive.

DRAINAGE PROJECTS: Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) has claimed that ongoing drainage and infrastructure projects across the city are nearing completion and will significantly reduce the risk of urban flooding during the upcoming monsoon season.

Speaking to Dawn, PHED executive engineer Zeeshan Khan Gandapur said the schemes were in the final stages and would be completed within the next 40 to 45 days.

He said the projects included drainage and road works in major localities such as Circular Road from Imamia Gate to Qalma Chowk, Qalma Chowk to Pawanda Bazaar, Pawanda Bazaar to Old Sabzi Mandi Mor, Diyal Road up to Benazir Colony, Sheikh Yousaf to New Bannu Chungi, Police Lines Road, Kanchkanwali locality, Arra Road, Muryali, Gillani Town, and stretches linking Muslim Bazaar to Jogianwala Mohallah and Shami Road.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2026