RCB slashes house, water and sanitation taxes, Daducha Dam to supply 15 MGD water: Malik Ibrar Ahmed

RAWALPINDI, Sep 13 (APP):Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Division Malik Ibrar Ahmed announced on Sunday a major relief package for the residents of Rawalpindi Cantonment, slashing house, water, and sanitation taxes following successful negotiations between public representatives and the high-level committee of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB).

Under the revised framework, the residential house tax hike has been curtailed from 30 percent to 20 percent, three easy installments have been permitted for tax payments, and surcharges on past arrears under the Amendment Act 2023 have been completely waived.

Furthermore, Daducha Dam will supply 15 million gallons per day (MGD) of water to the cantonment, backed by a Rs 100 million grant to shift tube wells and water storage facilities to solar power.

Addressing a crowded press conference alongside Member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) Malik Iftikhar Ahmed, former RCB Vice President Malik Munir Ahmed, Irfan Imtiaz, and former board members Malik Tahir Ayoub, Arshad Mehmood Qureshi, Rasheed Ahmed Khan, Haji Tariq, Malik Amjad Hussain, Chaudhry Shakoor Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Malik Sagheer Ahmed, Suleman Haider Shah, and Khurram Gul, Malik Ibrar Ahmed expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and Field Marshal General Asim Munir for initiating mega communication and infrastructure projects in Rawalpindi.

He stated that the completion of the Charing Cross and Qasim Market underpasses in NA-55 will convert the Rawat-to-Tarnol route into a signal-free corridor.

Malik Ibrar Ahmed said that exorbitant increases in municipal taxes had sparked widespread public resentment across all segments of the cantonment population.

Taking cognizance of public concerns, political representatives engaged the RCB administration, prompting the Cantonment Executive Officer to constitute a high-level committee. The committee held daily consultative sessions with former board members and reached a consensus to roll back the excessive hikes.

Under the agreed terms, the triennial tax revision for 2026–2029—initially approved at a flat 30 percent hike for both residential and commercial units has been revised to 20 percent for residential properties while maintaining 30 percent for commercial units.

Changes in commercial use will require formal revision notices, and assessment appeals will be officially registered.

Taxpayers who cleared dues between 2023 and 2026 will not face retrospective surcharges following committee reassessments, and bills will be issued strictly against current payable amounts.

Property owners submitting title deeds, CNIC copies, and formal applications will be assigned immediate Cantonment Board (CB) numbers, while newly incorporated urban pockets will receive CB numbers and tax liabilities only starting next fiscal year, with previous arrears fully written off.

Detailing the revised residential door-to-door sanitation rates, he announced that charges for 1 to 3 marla units have been fixed at Rs 2,100 per annum (Rs 175 per month), 3 to 5 marla units at Rs 3,200 per annum (Rs 266 per month), and 5 to 7 marla units at Rs 4,400 per annum (Rs 366 per month). Annual rates for 7 to 10 marla, 10 to 15 marla, and 15 to 20 marla plots stand at Rs 5,200, Rs 7,000, and Rs 10,000, respectively.

For commercial properties, multiple categories have been abolished in favor of a flat sanitation levy of 1 percent of the Annual Rental Value (ARV), aligning with Punjab’s “Suthra Punjab” clean-up model within four months.

Annual water charges have also been revised downward: rates for 1 to 5 marla units were reduced from Rs 14,400 to Rs 10,800; 5 to 7 marla from Rs 20,400 to Rs 18,800; and 7 to 10 marla from Rs 30,600 to Rs 28,000, while 10 to 15 marla and 15 to 20 marla rates were fixed at Rs 37,000 and Rs 40,000 per annum, respectively.

For tax recovery, authorities must issue a mandatory 30-day notice prior to property sealing, with businesses offering essential items exempted under Section 144—such as pharmacies, milk shops, bakeries, butcher shops, and green grocers—protected from sealing drives.

Malik Ibrar Ahmed added that water supplies from Chahan Dam and Daducha Dam will elevate the cantonment’s total clean water output to 50 MGD.

Addressing civic amenities for the cantonment’s 800,000 residents, he confirmed that land designated at Rakh Dhamial by parliamentarians for a public graveyard will soon receive dedicated ambulance and funeral bus services.

He urged residents to visit the operational constituency offices of former RCB members to seek assistance with bill rectifications and municipal concerns.