Speed up collection of municipal taxes: mayor
Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui has said that until the issue of recovery of municipal utility charges and taxes (MUCT) is resolved, recovery should be increased from major consumers like marriage halls, commercial complexes housing offices, banks and restaurants, and steps should be taken in this regard within a week.
He gave these instructions while presiding over a meeting with the officers of Municipal Utility Charges Department and Finance Department at his office on Monday. Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad, Pakistan Peoples Party South President Karamullah Waqasi, Municipal Commissioner Nauman Arshad, KMC Municipal Utility Charges & Taxes (MUCT) Senior Director Tasneem Siddiqui and other officers were also present on this occasion.
Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that currently there is a recovery of Rs150 to Rs160 million in the entire year through municipal utility bills; steps are being taken to increase it. However, in the meantime, a system should be devised to collect the due charges from all the major consumers in the city, giving a week time after which a meeting will be held again to review the progress in this regard.
He said that there are a total of 105 pedestrian bridges in Karachi, of which 50 bridges are under illegal occupation, so work should be started to evict encroachers immediately.
Banners, flags and wires on all bridges should be removed immediately and lighting arrangements should be made. Give three days to the concerned organization to bring the pedestrian bridges in proper condition and responsible should arrange the cleanliness and lighting of the bridges, while making a formula for revising the rent of other 55 bridges.
Mayor Karachi has said that where the beautification work is going on on Shahrah-e-Faisal, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) will play its role to improve the existing bridges on all the intersections. He said that under the bridges should also be cleaned and painted, after a week I will personally visit Shahrah-e-Faisal and inspect all things, so that the situation can be improved. He said that the citizens should know that the KMC is active in improving the city.
Apart from Shahrah-e-Faisal Pedestrian bridges on KMC roads in other areas of the city should also be repaired. Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab while giving instructions to the officers of the Finance Department said that steps should be taken to improve the financial situation of the institution. Financial matters should be made transparent and better, Finance Department should improve coordination with all other departments of KMC.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2023.