Sindh government has requested additional time to submit a written response in the ongoing case regarding the collection of municipal taxes through electricity bills. The Sindh High Court has given the government and other parties until September 10 to file their responses. “We are giving you a final opportunity; if the response is not submitted, we will proceed to decide the case,” the court warned.
The court rejected the request to issue a stay order against the collection of KMC taxes through electricity bills. Advocate Tariq Mansoor, representing the petitioners, noted that the deadline for bill collection is September 5. He argued that the Sindh government has not yet submitted its response, and therefore, a stay order should be issued. Advocate Tariq Mansoor contended that the implementation of the MUCT charges violates the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2013.
He further mentioned that NEPRA has already declared the collection of KMC taxes through K-Electric as unlawful. The petitioner’s lawyer also accused Karachi Mayor MurtazaWahab of violating the court’s May 29, 2024 orders.
“A detailed discussion on the collection of utility taxes through K-Electric was necessary according to the court’s directive,” he said, adding that the mayor did not brief committees on the matter nor allow for a debate in the assembly.