Govt ‘imposes’ entertainment tax on rooftops hired for Basant

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to impose entertainment tax on commercial buildings and plazas booked for Basant festivities through out the city, sources told Daily Times on Thursday. The government has also directed the police to warn building owners to ensure that no law would be violated on their rooftops like aerial firing or use of metallic string (tandi). However, Dr Muhammad Shafique, the Punjab Excise and Taxation minister, did not confirm the news. A Gulberg police station official, requesting for anonymity, said that they had received directions to warn the owners of all buildings being booked for Basant festivities not to violate any law otherwise they would be fined. Regarding firing at the rooftops of private residences, he said that police teams would be patrolling through out the day and night and would arrest the violators of the law. Sources said that the police had started collecting data of multi-story buildings that could be hired by multinational companies, banks or private parties for Basant. An Excise and Taxation Department official told Daily Times that the tax would be imposed on commercial buildings’ rooftops holding musical programmes. However, another official said that the tax would be imposed on every commercial building that had been hired for the event. Rooftops in the city were being booked ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 500,000. anjum gill

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