RCB issues notices for property reassessment
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has issued thousands of notices for the reassessment of residential and commercial buildings located along the median strip between Peshawar Road and Colonel Sher Khan Shaheed Road.
The move follows the resolution of a longstanding municipal boundary dispute with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) by the federal cabinet.
The reassessment, once completed, is expected to generate an additional annual revenue of Rs2 billion for the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB). Property owners receiving notices have been directed to submit ownership and other relevant documents to the RCB within 15 days. Failure to comply will result in a fine of Rs10,000 per property.
According to sources, the municipal boundary dispute between the RCB and CDA, dating back to 1980, was settled following a federal cabinet decision.
As a result, the cantonment board has begun reassessing properties in the newly designated municipal areas under its jurisdiction.
Notices have been issued for document submission, while property owners with outstanding tax liabilities are receiving warning notices. According to a completed assessment covering properties worth Rs6 billion, tax notices were now being sent to owners who had previously withheld payments, citing the boundary dispute.
Meanwhile, unassessed properties were under review, with owners required to provide the necessary documentation for tax evaluation.
The RCB is reportedly facing severe financial strain, struggling to pay staff salaries on time and clear outstanding payments to contractors for completed development projects.
A significant portion of the board's budget is allocated to salaries, utility services, and operational expenses, leaving minimal funds for infrastructure development.
With the recent boundary resolution, the RCB expects an annual revenue boost of Rs2 billion from property tax collection.
Tax Superintendent Muhammad Siddiq stated that the reassessed areas have been categorised into two groupsone where assessments are complete and Rs6 billion in unpaid taxes are due, and another where assessments are pending, requiring document submissions from property owners.
Assistant Secretary and RCB spokesperson Rashid Saqib confirmed that Cantonment Executive Officer Ali Irfan Rizvi has directed strict enforcement of tax collection under a zero-tolerance policy.
All measures, he assured, will be implemented within the legal framework.
The RCB was established in 1849, with its boundaries formally defined in 1957.
In contrast, the CDA was formed in 1960, with Islamabad's district limits finalised in 1963.
The municipal boundary dispute led to legal battles in various courts, ultimately resulting in a Supreme Court directive for the federal cabinet to resolve the issue.