Karachi: The Sindh High Court, during the hearing of the municipal charges case in electricity bills, proposed to impose tax on commercial and industrial consumers in the first phase.
The petitions against municipal charges in electricity bills were heard before a 2-member bench headed by Justice Salahuddin Paiwar.
On this occasion, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab appeared in the court and said that I request the court to give a quick decision on the application. We have to make a budget for the year. We will be able to make a budget only after this verdict, to which the court remarked that there are 3 more parties in the case. Anyway, the case cannot be finished before the budget.
Petitioner Tariq Mansoor stated that I have other cases, I will not be able to give arguments. In the next budget, the federation has also hinted at KMC-style taxation through utility services bills. Where I have waited for two and a half years, I want to give detailed arguments for one more month.
Murtaza Wahab said on this occasion that if the court gives an order, the viewer can collect the tax amount. There is still a tax of 200 to 5000, which citizens do not pay. The court suggested that the tax be levied on commercial and industrial consumers in the first phase. Mayor Karachi said that I start work on the suggestion of the court.
During the hearing, the petitioner Tariq Mansoor Advocate accused the person who was with the Mayor Karachi of violence and said that he had attacked me in the Mayor’s office on February 3. The court called the said person to the rostrum. On this occasion, Murtaza Wahab said that these are for my security. These are in SSU Police.
The court remarked that there is a court order that the SSU will be with foreign personalities only. You cannot use SSU security. People are being killed, there is no security here. Security is being given to people of choice. The court sent the SSU official out of the courtroom.
The court accepted the request of KMC for urgent hearing and summoned the parties by issuing a notice for May 29.