Sindh Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah met a high-level delegation from the World Bank to discuss improvements in the local government system in Sindh, modernisation of the immovable property tax collection mechanism and ongoing development projects.
Local Government Additional Chief Secretary Waseem Shamshad and other senior officials of the local government department were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the meeting, Nasir said the Sindh government was set to introduce a modern and transparent system for the collection of immovable property tax across the province, which would help increase revenue, improve service delivery and strengthen the financial autonomy of local government institutions.
He said the modern property tax system had already been functioning successfully in Karachi and, with the support of the World Bank, its scope would now be expanded across Sindh to ensure a uniform and effective tax system in both urban and rural areas.
He said it was the vision of Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and clear directives of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to provide all basic facilities to citizens at their doorstep and empower local government institutions.
He added that the Sindh government was taking serious steps to introduce comprehensive amendments to local government laws in consultation with all stakeholders to make the local government system more effective and efficient.
The local government minister said strengthening and empowering elected representatives down to the union council level remained a key priority of the government, and the proposed legal reforms would grant greater administrative and financial powers to town chairmen and deputy mayors, enabling quicker resolution of public issues at the local level.
He said towns demonstrating outstanding performance in immovable property tax collection would be provided additional development funds to encourage better performance and accelerate the pace of development.
During the meeting, the World Bank delegation expressed interest in projects related to the digitalisation of the property tax system and capacity building of local government institutions in Sindh, and reaffirmed its commitment to continuing cooperation with the provincial government.
