Islamabad: Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed on Wednesday asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to accept property tax bills paid as per the former tax rates – in compliance with the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), according to news sources.
In a statement, he conveyed the concerns raised by the local business community over the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI)’s decision to implement a 200% increase in property taxes; saying that this hike was not in line with the legal assessment and asserting procedure.
He revealed that the department had filed a writ petition in the court and that Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani presided over the case proceedings. He added that the ICCI counsel had presented arguments against the MCI property tax increase. The lawyer had maintained that this surge violated Section 5 of the West Pakistan Urban Immovable Property Tax 1985, he stated.
Moreover, the ICCI president requested the CDA and the MCI to comply with the court orders and said that if the two authorities were not ready to receive tax payments on former rates, they could use pay order or demand drafts on previous rates for property tax collections – as per the court orders.
As per officials, the next hearing of the case is scheduled to take place on December 11.
The senior vice president and vice president of ICCI said that the IHC had issued stay orders on the said property tax increase and that the CDA and MCI should respect its directives.
Hazafa reveres the art of writing and has been turned into a property enthusiast by profession. Her daily survival kit includes; tea, coffee, keyboard and paperbacks.
