LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Excise & Taxation Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman has issued directions to the Excise authorities concerned for initiating disciplinary action against the officials who are involved in ‘over-billing’ and harassment of people and warned to send them jail if found guilty.
He issued these instructions, while presiding over a high-level meeting to address property tax related issues. MNA Perviz Malik, MPAs Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and Shaikh Alao ud Din, Punjab Revenue Authority Chairman 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 also present in the meeting.
Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman also took immediate action against the officials who were allegedly involved in over and wrong billing of property tax and ordered the reversion and transfer of the officers including 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 minister ordered the Excise authorities concerned to prepare a report regarding inclusion of rural areas into tax net and barred them from collecting property tax from these areas till the completion of audit. Mujtaba Shuja asked the Excise authorities to establish close contact with all the trade associations and chambers of commerce to address their tax related issues. He also directed to address public complaints regarding increase in property tax rates and to conduct an audit of the imposition of property tax in those areas within city limits where urban facilities are not been provided.
