Punjab has imposed a new garbage tax across the province under the ‘Suthra Punjab’ (Clean Punjab) initiative, following approval from the Cabinet Division.
The levy has initially been applied to upscale residential and commercial areas, with collection in Lahore to be carried out by the Lahore Waste Management Company’s (LWMC) revenue and operational teams.
Under the scheme, urban households of five marlas will be charged Rs300 per month, while rural homes of the same size will pay Rs200. In cities, houses between five and 10 marlas will pay Rs500, compared with Rs200 in rural areas.
For 10 marla to one kanal houses, the tax is set at Rs1,000 in urban areas and Rs400 in villages. Properties between two and four kanals will pay Rs2,000, while houses above four kanals will be charged Rs5,000. In rural areas, homes above two kanals will pay Rs400.
Small shops in urban centres will be charged Rs500 and Rs300 in rural areas. Medium-sized shops will pay Rs1,000 in cities and Rs700 in villages. Large commercial establishments will face a levy of Rs3,000 in urban areas and Rs2,000 in rural parts of the province.
The LWMC has already started distributing the garbage tax bills as part of the provincial government’s new initiative.
