Multan The Excise and Taxation Department Multan Division has collected Rs 1.18 billion in property tax during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, achieving nearly 50 percent of its annual target of Rs 2.41 billion.
According to a report issued by the department, the collection was made by September 30 under the Punjab government’s five-percent tax relief package. More than 77,000 residential and commercial taxpayers availed themselves of the concession during the three-month period.
Multan district topped the division with 51 percent recovery, collecting Rs 890 million, followed by Lodhran with 49 percent and Rs 40 million, Vehari with 48 percent and Rs 137.6 million, and Khanewal with 38 percent and Rs 106 million.
The report showed a significant increase in the number of taxpayers benefiting from the relief package compared with the corresponding period last year. While around 55,000 taxpayers had availed themselves of the concession last year, the number rose to over 77,000 this year, marking an increase of more than 22,000 taxpayers.
The additional taxpayers included units in newly established housing societies and other areas recently brought into the tax net. The department attributed the improved response to effective publicity of the relief package through print and social media as well as digital initiatives that facilitated tax payments.
Director Excise and Taxation Iftikhar Ahmad Bhalli appreciated the cooperation of the business community and termed the record first-quarter recovery a collective achievement of the department’s officers and employees. He said the department would continue focusing on tax recovery with the same dedication in the coming months.