PROVISION of shelter is considered a fundamental human right throughout the civilized world and it is also so under the Constitution of Pakistan. However, instead of facilitating people to have their own home, Municipal Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) is penalizing the dwellers of the capital by enforcing over three hundred percent increase in the property tax and increasing its scope to areas outside municipal limits, suburbs of Islamabad and even to private housing societies where Capital Development Authority (CDA) or MCI have absolutely no role in respect of development or maintenance of these societies.
Strangely enough, the new rates are being imposed right from the small houses of five marlas to farmhouses spread over kanals without any consideration to the paying capacity of the marginalized segments of the society. Unlike Punjab, there is no exemption for self-occupied houses and the tenants would be forced to pay huge taxes on an annual basis even if they have no or limited sources of income to meet their family expenses. While a reasonable tax on houses and commercial properties located within the limits of the municipal area might have some justification, there is absolutely no point to impose taxes on houses and properties built in private housing societies and the settlements considered ‘illegal’ or ‘irregular’ by the CDA and where the civic authority or MCI provides no facility. In the case of private housing societies, dwellers have to pay a handsome amount as ‘maintenance charges’ on a monthly basis to these societies and therefore, imposition of property tax by MCI has no legality. Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has rightly pointed out that this 300% increase in property tax over and above a similar increase in 2019 would make Islamabad the costliest city in Asia and therefore, the elected representatives of the area should intervene immediately to stop this excessive exploitation of citizens by the MCI.
