The Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department has launched an operation against property tax defaulters across the Rawalpindi district on Saturday.
Around 5,000 defaulters of domestic and commercial properties have been issued red notices, officials said adding, excise teams will conduct raids at their houses and arrest them as well if they did not clear the outstanding amount.
Until December 31, the operation will remain limited to making recoveries from property tax defaulters, officials said. However, from January 1 onwards, the premises of property tax defaulters will be sealed and they could be arrested too, the said.
Sources in the excise department told The Express Tribune that many defaulters have started paying property tax which was thus encouraging. However, the operation against the defaulters would be intensified from January 1.
The excise department had offered concessional period for submission of property tax till September 30. And now, after exhausting all facilitation, the department has issued red notices.
Sources said that the number of defaulters who had not availed the relaxation in payment of property tax was quite low. Last month, owing to low recoveries, the Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Director General (DG) Saleha Saeed replaced three excise inspectors.
Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has extended the deadline for regularisation of unauthorised construction of domestic properties under the amnesty scheme.
The deadline has been extended to December 31 while RCB has formed two squads to take action against the owners of illegal structures after the amnesty scheme expires.
As many as 1,100 illegal structures have been regularised so far and Rs50.5 million have been recovered.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2020.
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