KARACHI   -  Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Sunday said that a fundamental agreement has been reached between the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and K-Electric in light of Municipal Utility Charges and Taxes (MUCT).

A resolution related to the collection of the said tax in accordance with the court’s decision has also been approved by the City Council. According to the details, an agreement has been reached to collect the Municipal Utility Charges and Taxes (MUCT) through K-Electric. Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that a committee was formed in this regard, which held regular meetings, and a resolution was sent to the City Council based on the committee’s recommendations.

Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that according to the court’s decision, it was necessary to provide maximum relief to low-income individuals. The committee suggested that consumers using up to 100 units of electricity would be exempted from this tax, and besides the municipal service charges, K-Electric would not make any direct deductions for any other payments. The City Council has formally approved the resolution regarding Municipal Utility Charges in light of the court orders and the committee’s recommendations.

In the meeting with K-Electric, it was agreed to exempt poor or low-income domestic consumers using up to 100 units, while a charge of 20 rupees for 101 to 200 units, 40 rupees for 201 to 300 units, 100 rupees for 301 to 400 units, 125 rupees for 401 to 500 units, 150 rupees for 501 to 600 units, 175 rupees for 601 to 700 units, and 300 rupees for those consuming over 700 units would be applicable under the utility charges. For commercial electricity consumers, a charge of 400 rupees would be applied across all categories, similarly for industrial consumers, 400 rupees would be applicable across all categories.

Murtaza Wahab said that the implementation of this would enable Karachi Metropolitan Corporation to earn four billion rupees annually under MUCT. This income will be spent transparently on the welfare and development of the city, and this system will be made more transparent and organized.

Barrister Wahab said that the tax being levied now is much less than what was collected during former City Nazim Mustafa Kamal’s tenure. He assured the citizens that their tax would be spent transparently for the development of the city, and he would personally oversee all the income and expenses under this head.

The undertaking given to the honourable court as the Mayor of Karachi has been fully complied with. He said that those opposing this tax are not friends of the city, and he assured that every penny collected from this tax would be accounted for. This step has been taken for the betterment of the city and its citizens, and they would meet the expectations of the people of Karachi.