Pakistan: World Bank Approves $150 Million to Boost Property Tax Collection in Sindh
The World Bank Group's Board of Executive Directors approved $150 million in financing on October 30 for the Sindh Property Revenues Enhancement Program (Sindh PREP) in Pakistan, to improve urban property tax collection and strengthen municipal service delivery in Sindh.
World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Bolormaa Amgaabazar said cities that can raise their own revenues can plan and invest for the long term, noting that Sindh's local councils depend on provincial transfers for more than 95 percent of their revenues. Karachi, one of the world's largest cities, currently collects only about $8.5 million a year in property tax, while cities of similar size collect 82 to 350 times more.
The program aims to raise that figure to $85 million annually, lifting compliance from 20 to 50 percent, by deploying a property tax management information system for billing, payment and grievance redress and rolling out integrated financial management systems across local councils. About 70 percent of collected revenues will be reinvested directly into municipal infrastructure and services in participating councils.
The program will benefit Karachi's 25 local councils and their 3.58 million residents, with funding linked to results verified independently; a $40 million component will expand property surveys and tax administration to 20 local councils in Sindh's other urban centres, indirectly benefiting about 4.5 million people. The World Bank has provided $52 billion in assistance to Pakistan since 1950.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：巴基斯坦卡拉奇市场街景，Steve Evans 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0 授权 / Photo: market in Karachi, Pakistan, by Steve Evans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
