Sindh govt plansdecisive action against property tax defaulters

The additional chief secretary of the Sindh Local Government Department has asked the officials concerned to remove all the impediments and bottlenecks in the way of the collection of the urban property tax.Chairing a meeting here on Friday, Syed Najam Ahmed Shah said that property tax payable by the owners of industrial, commercial, and residential buildings in urban areas would be collected by the government at any cost.

The meeting decided to launch decisive and stern action against the defaulters of property tax who owed a massive amount to the government despite the issuance of several notices and reminders.Initially, the names and property details of such defaulters would be publicised through print, electronic, and social media. In the next step, if the default on the tax payment continued, the property would be seized and auctioned by the government. The crackdown will begin after June 30.

The additional chief secretary asked the officials concerned to constitute proper vigilance teams for ensuring that the computer-generated property tax receipts should reach the correct addresses in urban areas.He warned that officials involved in receiving corruption money or offering any unauthorised concessions to anyone in the collection of the property tax would be taken to task. Shah said the property tax is payable against all residential, commercial and industrial buildings in the urban areas under the Sindh Urban Moveable Property Tax Act-1958.The housing units built on 120-square-yard plots and flats on 600 square feet are exempted from the property tax. This concession is only available if the property is being used by the owner themselves. The property tax is payable on buildings which area rented out, irrespective of the area involved.