The Chief Minister says that the World Bank’s door-to-door assessments identified 3.1 million properties
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah speaks during a press conference on Wednesday. Photo: NNI
KARACHI:
City dwellers who complain about the lack of civic amenities and crumbling infrastructure will soon get property tax notices for their houses and shops located on dilapidated and dug-up roads with overflowing sewage.
To meet the World Bank’s conditions to secure more loans, the Sindh government conducted door-to-door survey to optimize tax collection.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told a World Bank delegation on Wednesday that door-to-door assessments for property tax in cities have identified 3.1 million out of 3.3 million properties, with reallocations of funds approved by the project management committee.
He chaired a sectoral review meeting with a 10-member senior delegation from the World Bank, led by Country Director Bolormaa Amgaabazar, to assess ongoing development projects and chart future priorities for the province.
Addressing the meeting, CM Shah described the partnership with the World Bank as a cornerstone of Sindh’s reform and recovery agenda. “We aim for faster implementation, stronger results and visible impact for citizens,” he said.
Currently, 13 WB-supported projects are underway in Sindh, with a total cost of $3.8 billion, of which $1.96 billion has already been disbursed. For the 2025-26 financial year, a base payout target of $700.25 million has been set. Key projects in urban development, transport and municipal services include the $230 million Competitive and Livable City of Karachi project, the $382 million Karachi Mobility Project and the $100 million Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project.
The meeting was told that 161 urban municipal committee projects worth $66.7 million are underway, of which 47 have already been completed, achieving a total physical progress of 61%. Similarly, eight Karachi Metropolitan Corporation projects totaling $19 million are underway, with four projects in the procurement phase expected to be awarded by December 16, 2025.
Regarding the investigation of the property tax in the cities, door-to-door assessments have identified 3.1 million out of 3.3 million properties, with reallocations of funds approved in the Project Steering Group.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has outlined significant progress across governance, infrastructure, education, health and social protection sectors, highlighting the go-live of Wave Two of Sindh Business One Stop Shop System (SBOSS) on November 28, 2025. So far, 13 out of 19 institutions have been integrated, 54 out of 130 permits, 8 digitized and 8 digitized. issued. Wave Three, covering six institutions and the remaining 76 licenses, is expected in May 2026.
