I HAVE received a property tax notice from the Sindh government. A stamp mark shows it is from ‘I’ Division. I wanted to contact the officer under whose signature the bill was issued.

But the amazing thing is that this office keeps its location secret.

There is no postal address, no telephone number/s and that automatically means no email address.

So if you want to contact the office which by its name appears very imposing, there is no way you can contact it.

I live in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Karachi. But I do not know whether this office is located at Keamari, Landhi, Defence or Shershah.

The Sindh government offices are located in Tughlaq House in Saddar and Civic Centre at Hasan Square. Where do I try my luckin this summer?

According to the bill, payment is to be made to the ‘branch of bank authorised to accept money as [sic] behalf of government’.

The document doesn’t say which branch of which bank.

I looked at the reverse side, and it is blank. So I just wanted to ring up or drop a letter or send an email to ask for the bankbranch.

However, the office has made it impossible for a taxpayer to do so, because it keeps its location, phone numbers and email address (if any) secret.

The other details on the document are impressive and speak of meticulous adherence to rules. Read this:

“The West Pakistan Urban Immoveable Property Tax Act, 1958. District Provincial Account No IV; 120-121 Property Tax (Karachi-1301); Division I, KC-7434, B-01301. Form P.T. 10. See Rules 15(4) and (5). Original to be returned to the Assessing Authority. Receipts to be given to the payer”.

Another stamp in red says, “After due date, the 50% penalty will be imposed.” All this may be of interest to the auditors, but not to the taxpayer.

Now that an election is approaching, will the MPA or the minister concerned kindly do something about it and not keep the office of the ‘Excise and Taxation Inspector, I Division’, Government of Sindh, a Kahuta-style secret?

RIZWAN YASSINKarachi