New force to enforce garbage tax

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has approved the creation of a new uniformed force to collect waste management tax across all 41 districts of the province following the failure of local government institutions to effectively collect the levy.

Under the existing system, households are charged between Rs300 and Rs500, while shops are charged Rs1,000 as waste tax. The newly approved force will be established on the model of a Pera force and will operate under the administrative control of the Punjab Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department.

The new force will visit households and shops to issue waste tax bills and collect the dues. Citizens will also be able to pay the tax online and through the Bank of Punjab.

Those who fail to pay the waste tax will face enforcement action by the new force, including the issuance of challans and arrests under the applicable procedure.

The force will comprise 305 posts, including 300 constables in Grade 5 who will collect sanitation taxes and charges across the province. Seven to eight constables will be deployed in each district.

The constables will work under the supervision of one director and four deputy directors. The government will also provide the force with 300 electric motorcycles, one 1,300cc vehicle and four Cultus cars. An estimated Rs113 million will be spent on the purchase of the vehicles and motorcycles.