Liaquatabad TMA imposes Rs 70,000 tax on each mobile tower

November 15, 2009


By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: The Liaquatabad Town Municipal Administration has levied tax on mobile towers being installed within the precincts of the Liaquatabad TMA with immediate effect.
In this regard, the council of the Liaquatabad TMA had convened a special meeting to discuss the purview of the proposed tax. The council had finally approved that a new tax on each mobile tower in the town’s limits should be imposed at the rate of Rs 70,000 per year.
While talking to Daily Times, the Nazim of Liaquatabad Town Osama Qadri said that the tax was imposed in accordance to the existing laws contained in the Sindh Local Government Ordinance-2001 and was meant to generate revenue resources for the Liaquatabad TMA.
Qadri maintained that the mobile phone companies have been benefiting from certain facilities and infrastructure that the TMA has installed while these mobile companies also pay rent to the owners of the premise whereupon mobile towers have been installed.
Qadri also said that since the mobile phone companies have been securing hefty sum of profits through installation of these mobile phone towers, Henceforth, the Liaquatabad TMA has after reviewing these aspects of commercial and financial benefits imposed tax on each mobile tower at the rate of Rs 70,000 per year.Qadri added that the Liaquatabad TMA had been receiving Rs 30,000 from the mobile phone companies in terms of annual renewal fee but they had failed to pay the same for the current year.