PESHAWAR: Atif Haleem, a former president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), has disapproved of the rate for municipal services announced by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Department.
As per the details, the proposition of charging the water supply fee based on the number of stores, offices, wards, rooms, or flats, as well as the size of wedding venues and restaurants, among other factors, has been rejected by Atif Haleem.
According to a statement from Atif Haleem, the local government department receives 85% of the taxes which the excise department collects on behalf of urban immovable property to fund municipal services.
He also added that every year, this collection totals billions of rupees, and the imposition of a water tax falls under the category of double taxation.
Furthermore, in a case involving a similar notion of charging the water tax on a store or office, the business community had prevailed against WSSP in the high court, and WSSP then filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.
According to Atif Haleem, the local government department needs to explain how it used the billions of rupees it got from the Excise Department under the pretense of an urban immovable property tax.
Besides, Atif Haleem issued a warning that this sort of behavior was contempt of court because the Peshawar High Court had already rendered judgment on the matter, and they would not be hesitant to return to court to challenge such malpractices.
