'Property tax funds to be spent on local infrastructure'

Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Friday said revenue collected through property tax would be spent directly on improving neighbourhood infrastructure, including roads, streetlights and drainage systems. He made the remarks while chairing a meeting with a World Bank delegation to review property tax collection in the province, improve transparency in the system and strengthen the financial position of local government institutions. Officials briefed the meeting on the existing property tax collection mechanism, collection at the town level and the utilisation of the revenue generated through the tax. Shah said the primary objective of collecting property tax at the town level was to make local councils financially self-reliant and enable them to provide better municipal services to citizens. "Strengthening local government institutions at the grassroots level is essential for delivering relief to people at their doorstep," he said, adding that strengthening the municipal system financially and administratively was among the Sindh government's priorities. The minister directed officials to establish an effective monitoring mechanism for funds generated through property tax to ensure that the money collected from citizens was spent transparently and in the public interest.