Court issues notices on plea against Karachi municipal tax added to power bills

KARACHI: The constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court has called for responses from K-Electric and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on a petition challenging an increase in municipal tax charged through electricity bills.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Saeed heard the petition, which was filed by City Council Opposition Leader Saifuddin.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner, Usman Farooq, told the court that last year it had granted conditional permission for the levy of the tax. He argued that any imposition of the tax, or any increase in it, required approval from the city council.

According to the petitioner’s counsel, Mayor Murtaza Wahab raised the tax without obtaining the council’s approval. He asked the court to declare the increase unlawful and said a fresh petition had been moved because earlier court orders had not been complied with.

Usman Farooq further argued that the court had directed that the tax should be implemented in consultation with the opposition. However, he said, the mayor enforced the Municipal Utility Charges and Taxes (MUCT) through electricity bills without such consultation.

The bench then sought replies from K-Electric and KMC on the matter.

Petition on disability quota jobs

In a separate matter, the constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court sought a compliance report within two weeks on a petition against the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) over the non-grant of employment to visually impaired siblings.

At the hearing, petitioner’s counsel Usman Farooq Advocate submitted that the court had earlier ordered that both individuals be regularised under the disability quota.

The petitioners, identified as Saima and Mujtaba, had been appointed in KDA on a contract basis and had worked there for two to three years, the court was told.

The court directed that a compliance report be submitted within two weeks in the case.

The proceedings covered two separate petitions before the constitutional bench: one relating to the increase in municipal tax collected through power bills, and the other concerning implementation of an earlier order on regularisation under the disability quota.