Sindh decides to collect tax through utilities bills

Sindh Solid Waste Management Board’s (SSWMB) spokesperson said the garbage collection tax would be added to the residents’ gas bills, and a letter had been written to the Sui Southern Gas (SSGC) in this regard

The Sindh government has decided to impose another utility tax, days after it had proposed the collection of two KMC taxes — fire tax and conservancy tax — through monthly electricity bills sent to residents to ensure their recovery.

Sindh Solid Waste Management Board’s (SSWMB) spokesperson said the garbage collection tax would be added to the residents’ gas bills, and a letter had been written to the Sui Southern Gas (SSGC) in this regard.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, chaired by Minister for Local Bodies Nasir Hussain Shah, the spokesperson said.

“The tax to collect garbage from outside the peoples’ homes is expected to generate Rs5 billion annually,” the spokesperson said.

The meeting’s participants decided that the SSWMB would collect garbage from flats, buildings, homes, and industries, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that Rs200-300 would be collected monthly from residential consumers, as the SSWMB seeks to generate revenue through its own resources.

Earlier this month, the Sindh government had decided to collect two Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) taxes through electricity bills sent to residents to ensure their recovery.

Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah chaired a joint meeting of the KMC and K-Electric Wednesday. The provincial government decided to come up with a mechanism through which two of the KMC’s bills can be recovered through electricity bills sent to residents.

However, the decision invited criticism from the federal government, with Governor Sindh Imran Ismail saying that KE would not be allowed to collect KMC taxes from Karachiites at any cost.

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