KARACHI: Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said that Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Friday handed over an amount of more than Rs 230 million to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) as charges of municipal tax which had not been paid for last many years.
He said that receiving Rs 230 million from KPT in the form of municipal tax will make the KMC financially stable.
“This Amount will be spent on development of Karachi. The construction of elevated expressway from ICI Bridge to Y Junction is being started at a cost of Rs 14 billion, the Administrator expressed these views while addressing the ceremony along with Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Faisal Sabzwari at Karachi Port Trust headquarters here.
Chairman KPT Syed Muhammad Tariq Huda, Additional Secretary Maritime Affairs Asad Rafi Chandna, Municipal Commissioner KMC Syed Afzal Zaidi, Finance Advisor Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto and other relevant officers were also present on this occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Faisal Sabzwari said that KPT has decided in principle that whatever amount is due to KMC should be paid to it.
He said that this is for the development and improvement of Karachi.
“KPT wanted to start four big projects in Karachi, for these projects NOC was required from Sindh government and KPT but due to no coordination between the two institutions, the NOC could not be issued. But now through mutual trust, this issue will also be resolved,” he added. Wahab said that no institution can run without taxation and the development of Karachi is actually the development of Karachi Port Trust as it is an important institution of the city.
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The Karachi Administrator on the occasion thanked Federal Minister Faisal Sabzwari and KPT Chairman Tariq Huda for the payment of money for taking a positive step for the improvement of KMC. He told about receiving municipality tax in electricity bill that this is not a new tax and it is being collected since 2009, adding that the tax has been reduced instead of increased.
Barrister Wahab said that in the past, the money received in the form of municipal tax went to the pockets of officers and staff, but now the money that K-Electric will give to KMC will be in the form of a check and deposited into the KMC account.
The Administrator Karachi in response to a question said that some people are trying to create differences in connection with municipal taxes. He said that KMC has only 14000 employees and he did not recruit even a single person during his tenure. Wahab said that sustainability cannot come until roads are reconstructed.
“Before constructing the road, we have to fix the sewage system and water leakages, then the road will be sustainable, he added.
The Administrator requested the people to support the KMC as this is our city and we all want it to improve.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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