Financial plan: Rs24.29 billion city govt budget approved

Employees’ salaries to be increased by 10 per cent.

LAHORE: The district government on Friday approved a Rs24.29 billion budget for the financial year 2014-15.

No new tax has been introduced in the budget. A 10 per cent raise has been approved to the salary of district government employees.

The government expects to generate a revenue of Rs1.05 billion through the Lahore Parking Company and General Bus Stand.

An amount of Rs9.15 billion has been allocated for education, Rs3.47 billion for the Lahore Waste Management Company and Rs1.61 billion for the health sector.

Rs4.38 billion has been reserved for development projects.

The government expects to receive Rs17.80 billion from the Provincial Finance Commission.

The government generated Rs528 million in 2013-14 through General Bus Stand, Rs28 million more than the set target.

The District Office of Spatial Planning was tasked to generate Rs300 million in 2013-14; however it generated only Rs60 million.

Officials from the department said they had failed to meet the target as powers to collect revenue through commercialisation were transferred to the Lahore Development Authority last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2014.