HARIPUR:
Residents of Hattar have expressed serious concern over the Excise and Excise Department’s decision to declare the entire Hattar area as an urban locality and impose urban property tax on shops.
According to officials, the tax has been collected by the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) Khanpur, while the excise department is only responsible for its collection. They said that when TMA Khanpur was established, certain localities were declared urban areas. After this, the excise department carried out a formal survey of those areas, measured the commercial properties and levied property tax accordingly.
Officials said the tax rate, which was earlier Rs 7 per sq ft, has now been increased to Rs 10 per sq ft. They added that the tax applies regardless of whether a shop is closed or rented, and has been in force since 2021. All outstanding arrears for this period must also be paid, they said.
On the other hand, the residents of Hattar have described the decision as unjustified and unfair, questioning the criteria under which Hattar was declared an urban area. They argued that a transparent explanation is needed as to whether Hattar actually meets the standards of an urban locality.
According to residents, excise officials maintain that Hattar is a fully notified urban area and hence the tax will be levied uniformly on properties located on the main road as well as in interior neighbourhoods. Locals further objected that the tax is applied retrospectively for the last seven years, which they termed as totally unfair.
They said that various taxes are already being levied on houses, hoardings and advertisements and this additional burden fell on the public after Khanpur was granted tehsil status. The residents added that they had previously conveyed their reservations to higher authorities at the time of establishment of Tehsil Khanpur.
The affected citizens stressed that they do not oppose legitimate taxes, but reject arbitrary taxes imposed without public consultation. They said the time has come for all stakeholders to come together and raise their voices with the Prime Minister and relevant authorities, while seeking other constitutional and democratic avenues.
Hattar residents have urged the provincial government to ensure that elected representatives and stakeholders are taken into account before imposing any taxes, so that decisions are transparent and fair, rather than imposing unilateral financial burdens on the public.
