Standing by his decision: Oghi tehsil nazim says mine owners should pay taxes

Says they destroy road networks, but do not put any money into repair

MANSEHRA: Mine owners in Mansehra should pay taxes as they earn millions from the natural resources of the district, but do not spend a penny on welfare of locals. This was stated by Oghi tehsil nazim Raja Bashir as he spoke to the media at his office on Tuesday.

He said the decision that taxes should be levied on the transportation of granite is not just of an individual, but the people of Oghi who believe this should happen. The decision has been endorsed by the Mansehra district council.

Bashir said mine owners should be taxed as they destroy the road and water supply network without repairing the damage caused by their activity.

Only owners

“[However] the tax must not be levied on truck drivers, loaders or mine workers,” he clarified.  Bashir added his decision would not be changed even by the administration of his tehsil as his demand was meant for the welfare of 500,000 residents of Oghi.

He said they would take to the streets to make mine owners pay taxes.



Through a unanimously adopted resolution, Oghi tehsil council recently levied taxes of Rs1,000 per truck on transportation out of the tehsil of white stone and Rs2,000 on granite.

The resolution was endorsed by Mansehra district council, allowing Oghi Tehsil Municipal Administration to collect taxes by erecting barriers at Chappar Road, Oghi Road and Gali Badral Road from June 1.



Agitated by the decision, truck drivers went on strike from June 2. However, according to police, they have called off their strike against the imposition of taxes.

Playing their part

Frontier Mine Owners Association Hazara President Sher Bandi Marwat told The Express Tribune more than 600 mine owners of Mansehra were paying millions annually to the provincial government on account of different taxes because it had the power to impose and collect taxes.

Apart from seven types of taxes, he said, each mine owner pays Rs250,000 as royalty in a month, while the mines of PTI leader Jehangir Tareen alone pay Rs3.5 million monthly to the government. He added there were 3,000 miners engaged in excavation of minerals in Mansehra alone while hundreds of workers were earning their livelihood from the industrial units of minerals across K-P. He said if TMA’s tax was not withdrawn, the mine owners would stop working across the province during the next phase. He believed this would inflict loss of millions to the provincial government.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2016.