Minister for Excise & Taxation awards punishments for over billing

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Excise & Taxation and Finance Punjab Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman upon the public complaints regarding over and wrong billing of property tax, ordered the reversion and transfer of the officers: Abdul Aleem Khan ETO Hafizabad to AETO Mianwali, Yousaf Ali Virk ETO Rawalpindi to AETO Chiniot, Iqbal Minhas ETO Mianwali to AETO Bahawalpur. The Minister also directed the suspension, inquiry and transfer of the officials: Riaz Virk Inspector Rawalpindi to Bahawalpur, Rasheed Dogar Inspector Rawalpindi to DG Khan, Jam Ajmal AETO Hasilpur to DG Office and Safdar Jang Clerk Rawalpindi to Sahiwal. The competent authority has issued notification in this regard.

Earlier, Minister for Excise & Taxation has directed the Excise authorities not to receive property tax from the new rating areas till the completion of audit. He issued instructions for initiating disciplinary action against the officials involved in over billing and harassment of people and sending the responsible officials to jails. He also directed to address public complaints regarding increase in property tax and to conduct an audit of the imposition to property tax to those areas within city limits where urban facilities are not been provided.

He was presiding over a high level meeting regarding redressal of the grievances of regarding property tax. Member National Assembly Perviz Malik, MPAs Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and Shaikh Alao ud Din, Chairman Punjab Revenue Authority Iftikhar Qutab, Secretary Excise Khalid Masood Chaudhry, DG Excise Ahmed Aziz Tarar, DG LDA Ahad Khan Cheema and senior officers of Finance, Local Government and other departments were present.

Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman directed the Excise authorities that a detailed report be conducted regarding the inclusion of rural areas into rating areas and imposition of the property tax while its audit should also be conducted. He directed to stop recovery of property tax from such areas till the submission of audit report. He directed Excise authorities to maintain a close contact with Chambers of Commerce, traders’ professional organizations and other to resolve the problems of the people regarding serving of wrong notices of property tax.