RCB expedites recovery campaign against tax defaulters

Rawalpindi

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) in order to generate revenue and overcome deficit of its liabilities of Rs4,237.362 million has expedited its recovery campaign against tax defaulters, both domestic and commercial.

The recovery campaign has been initiated this month against the chronic tax defaulters. Prior to this, the RCB had provided the defaulters a chance to clear their tax dues through notices. As the time of notices issued to them has expired, the RCB while launching recovery drive also took action against the managements of three defaulting private schools and closed their institutions. However, on payment of 25 per cent tax, one school was reopened later.

According to credible sources, the campaign against the tax defaulters has been intensified because the civic body has little resources to generate revenue.

Similarly, to cut the deficit of liabilities worth Rs4247.362 million, the civic body, according to the decision adopted in the recent board meeting, has also curtailed its non-developmental expenditures.

Moreover, the civic body is aiming to clear its dues according to the budget provisions. The sanctioned budget provisions for the year 2015-16 has also been exhausted by 65 per cent, while 6 months still remain in the current fiscal year.

Out of the total dues against RCB, the liabilities of the civic body on construction of Sangjani Filtration Plant is Rs3,532.32 million, while on O&M cost of Sangjani Filtration Plant stands at Rs573.610 million.

Similarly, the civic body has to clear dues of Rs99.23 million to Iesco/Wapda while the liabilities against POL is Rs25.00 million. Even the dues against the civic body to be paid to newspapers amounts to Rs2 million and the miscellaneous payments is Rs0.502. Moreover, the RCB has also to clear dues of a chemist shop which is also longstanding and is worth Rs4.700 million.

The agenda of payment of longstanding dues was also discussed in the recent board meeting and it was decided to cut the figures of liabilities through payments for which practical and effective measures have been adopted. While curtailing the non-developmental expenditure, RCB is generating revenue through recovery of tax dues from the defaulters.

RCB Secretary Qaisar Qamar, while agreeing to the fact, said that the process of clearing the liabilities is continuing. The civic body is able to clear dues every month standing against electricity and POL payments. While clearing old dues, fresh payments of electricity charges is also being done every month.