The Jamaat-e-Islami challenged in the Sindh High Court the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s decision to collect municipal utility charges and other taxes through electricitybills.
Filing a petition in the high court, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman submitted that the KMC administrator had clarified in sections of the print and electronic media that the collection of fire and conservancy charges had been assigned to KE through electricity bills on behalf of the KMC.
He said the Sindh government had also issued a notification on April 12, 2022, authorising the KMC to impose any tax or fees on the subject enumerated in Para II of Schedule V of the Sindh local government act.Rehman said that water and conservancy services charges were earlier being collected through Karachi Water and Sewerage Board bills as per different areas and categories of properties, including residential, commercial, industrial and amenity, but now the mode of determination of the tax had been totally changed and linked with electricity units charged by the KE.
He contended that the impugned action of the KMC is unlawful and in violation of local government law, which says that prior to the imposition of any tax its publication is necessary and every citizen, liable to be taxed, should know as to what type of tax is being imposed and naturally to raise any objection to the tax.
The petitioner argued that the consumption of electricity units had nothing to do with fire and conservancy charges, which had a totally different dynamic as there may be a property consuming more units but fewer municipal services in an area as compared to a big property consuming fewer units of electricity.
