Property tax
I HAVE been residing in House No. B-307 in Sindh Baloch Housing Society since 2016. I am retired with no pension but have been receiving tax challan of Rs60,000 every year. The first floor of the house has been rented out, which is the only source of income for my family livelihood. After my retirement, my family shifted to this house in early 2016. I have written several letters to the management of Cantonment Board Faisal (CBF) to review the amount of property tax, but nothing has happened in this regard.
I do understand that the payment of property tax is obligatory, but that should be realistic and reasonable considering that I am a retired person; and retired from private-sector employment which does not give one the financial space that people retiring from government service end up getting.
To my surprised, I recently found that my next-door neighbour receives property tax challans worth Rs13,000 per year, while mine is Rs60,000 despite having a house on the same land dimen- sions. This is not a one-off case, as that are a number of residents in our society who have been facing similar anomalies.
Nazar ul Haq
Karachi
Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2023